Interesting information about the Slavic god bathed. The Slavic holiday was bathed by its traditions and history. Hall of the Horse - how it affects the character

Slavic Holiday Kupala (Kupailo, Kupalo) - the day of the summer solstice. The longest day and shortest night of the year. This is one of the four main holidays of the ancient Slavs, dedicated to the positions of the Sun (, Kupala,). The last day of the Rusal Week or Mermaids. Kupala is one of the oldest holidays that has preserved many of the traditions and customs of our ancestors to this day, for example: seeing off Yarila, who is replaced by the God of the summer sun Kupala, collecting healing herbs, searching for a fern flower, etc. Kupala is also a great holiday, which is now replaced by the church on the birthday of John the Baptist.

Let's try to unbiasedly figure out what kind of day this is, bearing the name of Kupala, which was revered and celebrated by the ancestors of the Rus strictly at the same time of the year, long before our times, the main customs and traditions of which, which are in the Soul and now (precisely according to Soul, and not according to some canons), have come down to us from time immemorial.

What day is Kupala celebrated?

The very date of the celebration is not accidental and is associated with an astronomical event, like many other celebrated days, which may indicate the advanced knowledge of the ancestors of the Rus in astronomy. Kupala Day is an astronomical event called the summer solstice. Now it is absolutely known that the trajectory of our planet around the Yarila-Sun is far from a perfect circle. During one revolution of our planet around the Yarila-Sun, the distance between them changes from the minimum close to the maximum distance, which is repeated from year to year and from century to century. On the day of the summer solstice, our planet occupies the most distant position from the Yarila-Sun, and in our hemisphere at this time there is the longest day and the shortest night of the year - the triumph of light over darkness. This astronomical event does not depend on any religions, faiths, political views and, in general, people. The sun shines the same for everyone, and this event occurs at the same time from year to year, regardless of any calendars and their styles, and it cannot be canceled or rescheduled to please anyone, but it is quite possible to change concepts.

In 2019, the Slavic Feast of Kupala falls on June 21

Thus, the day of the summer solstice, according to the widely used calendar today, falls on June 19-25.

Where did the names of the holiday Kupala, Kupailo, Kupalo or Ivan-Kupala come from?

We figured out the date, now let's try to understand what meaning was put into the name of the Kupala Day holiday. If in the case of the date everything is clear, the conditions there are determined by an astronomical event, then the question will have to be left open with the name, since we do not have reliable information today, and the Ancestral Heritage, passed from mouth to mouth, has come down to us very distorted. There are many versions of the origin of this name, but not all of them are accepted by the Soul quite unambiguously, which can be perceived as true. At the end of the article is a legend dedicated to the origin of the name of the festival of the summer solstice. Take courage and, after reading it, make your own opinion whether your Soul accepts such an interpretation, whether it is a version close to reality, and do not blindly follow any beliefs.

Today, the holiday is better known as Ivan Kupala or Ivan's Day, named after the Christian Saint John the Baptist. Ivan Kupala, unlike the real Feast of Kupail or Kupala, is not timed to coincide with the solstice, but is celebrated on the date of the birth of John the Baptist on July 7th. Celebrating Kupala on July 7 according to pagan traditions with bonfires, wreaths, searching for ferns does not make any sense, since the solstice has long been left behind. In fact, this holiday does not belong at all to John the Baptist or some incomprehensible Ivan Kupala, but to the pagan God Kupala (Kupailo).

Once this holiday was celebrated not only in Rus', but throughout Europe. Hills, fields, meadows, valleys were covered with the lights of Kupala bonfires. In our time, of course, this is no longer the case, but many people, pagan communities continue to support the tradition, and anyone can visit the Kupala Festival, as it really is. It is believed that at the dawn of the Kupala day, the sun rejoices, shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow, dances and bathes. The day of the solstice itself is always hot, this is explained by the fact that the sun on its last day fries the earth with all its might, but, defeated, leaves for the winter. At Kupala, the sun reaches its climax, fries with incredible force, and according to tradition, people should ask him to moderate his ardor.

Folk rituals and traditions for the Kupala Festival

To this day, the summer solstice is widely celebrated in different parts of our planet, and in many places on its true astronomical date. This holiday is common among peoples whose roots are closely connected with the roots of the Rus. Having different names for different nationalities, its essence is the same: all rituals are associated with fire, which usually acts in two forms - earthly and heavenly (the Sun), and water.

The celebration of Kupala Day was preceded by the Mermaid Week. These days are dedicated to the Goddesses of rivers, lakes and reservoirs. During the Mermaid Week, they did not swim without special need, so as not to disturb the water deities preparing for the summer festival, and from that day they began to swim in the rivers every day. It was customary to guard the meeting of the month with the sun on the night of the solstice, they did not go to bed and watched the Sun play. Kupala night is the time when the magical power of fire, water, earth, plants reaches supreme power, and the water in rivers and lakes acquires special life-giving and cleansing properties. The belief about the color of the fern, blooming with a fiery color on the Kupala night, is in all Slavic peoples, in search of which the most courageous went.

The idea of ​​the holiday is cleansing, affecting the three bodies of human essence - a three-dimensional shell, soul and spirit. Fundamental natural elements - water and fire - are used as cleansing elements. That is why the famous bathing fires are always bred on the banks of rivers.

The celebration begins with a round dance. The round dance is built from three circles of people holding hands and moving in different directions. The outer circle is made up of people of mature and old age, the middle circle is young and full of strength guys and girls, and the smallest circle, which is closest to the fire, is made up of small children .

During the celebration, our Ancestors jumped over the fires, and then, with a run, plunged into the arms of the river. An important point is that it should be just a river with moving water, when you can draw an analogy with the river of time, during which everything is once washed away, changes are constantly taking place. And if water purifies the body, then fire purifies the Soul.

It is believed that the bonfires lit on the Kupala Festival have a unique, cleansing power. On the bathing night, these bonfires, according to the beliefs of our Ancestors, burned in three worlds at once - in Reveal, Navi and Rule. Therefore, any fire on this night is a conductor, powerful and irresistible. Conductor of human and divine, dark and light, earthly and heavenly.

Walking on coals is the next part of the holiday. This is a moment of purification or, rather, even hardening of the spirit. Through heat, a powerful thermal energy flow and small painful sparks, false thoughts, unfair aspirations, demons and larvae, pushing him to a dark path, leave a person.

Also, the Slavic Holiday Day of Kupala includes weaving wreaths and firelights. As for wreaths, in tradition, wreaths are woven by girls for guys. Of course, if we are talking about an established couple, then the girl weaves a wreath for her man or husband, another option is simply unacceptable. In all other cases, single girls give their wreaths to those guys who cause them the most sympathy. Wreaths are woven from field herbs and flowers. Ognevitsy are small "boats", most often made of wooden planks. A candle is placed in the center of such a boat, and a “fence” is made around the grass and leaves so that the wind does not accidentally extinguish the flame. Fireboxes with lit candles are launched into the river. If a person does not have a pair, he can start the firelighter on his own, but more often this moment is not individual. After all, a harmonious state is achieved only in the unity of opposites, therefore, ideally, the flame should be launched by a couple - the bride and groom or husband and wife. At that moment, when a guy and a girl put a fire on the water, they make wishes.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Feast of Kupala, which Christians gave us, is that during the festival, fornication and all sorts of outrages are happening. Our Slavic ancestors were the purest, both spiritually and materially.

Preachers and missionaries who came to our country from afar saw an incomprehensible festivity with fun, games, dances. It seemed to them that it was simply disgusting, and instead of sitting on their knees and begging for eternal forgiveness, people rejoice in life.

The fact is that on Kupala, as a holiday of the maximum sun, when the unusually powerful magical forces of heaven and earth are activated, it was considered a good sign to conceive a child. According to legend, those conceived on the day of the sun on Kupala absorbed all its energy and became either the best warriors or wise women. It was also considered unlikely that a child conceived on Kupala would have supernatural powers.

The baptists probably witnessed how on a holiday, when the forces of nature were at their peak, many young people, secluded in quiet groves and meadows, tried to conceive new offspring. As a result, in order to try to take one of the most significant holidays from the Slavs, a post was imposed on him (Petrov post). In pre-Christian times, of course, there was no fasting, and the festivities were not a holiday of the stomach and spirit before a long abstinence, but the celebration of the Day of the Sun of Kupala and the end of the Mermaid Week.

The legend of how the Kupala Festival appeared

How the twins Kupala and Kostroma were born to the Goddess of Bathing

In the meantime, in the kingdom of Rule, everything continued to move in its turn. Everything moved in its turn in our earthly kingdom of Reveal. In the Iry garden, the fire god Semargl was going to go again to protect the world from dark forces. Sharpened his fiery sword, turned around winged dog and rushed across the night sky to disperse the Chernobog great-grandchildren.

That night turned out to be difficult - time was the reason for this. The time of the summer solstice has come, the time of the holiday of many dark forces, when the sun turns to the winter. Hors still shines brightly, full of energy, but the hands of Veles are already on the great Svarog wheel, on the great wheel of time.

Very soon the sun will wane - little by little, by the minute, and then, as it is now, it will not shine: then the cold Moraine will become the mistress of the forest-fields. Even Khorsa will be covered with cold: on the day of the autumn equinox, when day and night are equal, he will extinguish his life-giving rays.

That is why the dark forces rejoice, but as yet they cannot defeat the sun. These days, Khors shines with all its might, and Dazhbog brings a bright light to the whole earth, but at night Semargl protects the world - he taught people to kindle fires, and now on the nights of the summer solstice they burn like eyes of light, dispersing away the darkness of the night. And the earth then, like a mirror, reflects the starry sky.

At this time, the wonderful Bathing Room-Night, an assistant of fertile forces, shines with such amazing beauty that the fire god Semargl finally decided - he approached, flew up to the Bathing Room and spoke of his ardent love. He told how he longs for her in heaven. And then the Beautiful Goddess answered Semargl's love, and their love was hotter than a flame and more tender than the night air.

And, as it was appointed by fate, woven as it was by the wise Makosh, as it was tied to Nedoley with Share, twins were born to Semargl with the Bathing Suit - two, a boy and a girl.

The boy was given the name Kupala, he was bright and white, his eyes, like water, were transparent and gentle. The girl's name was Kostroma, and she was bright as fire, with a warm soul and heart. Brother and sister were inseparable, they ran together through the fields and meadows and marveled at the earthly world, and the fields, and meadows, and groves. Together they marveled at the beasts of the earth and watched the flight of heavenly birds.

Kupala and Kostroma were equal in their beauty and skills, only the difference was that Kostroma loved to look at the fire, she had fun, jumping over the fire, and Kupala loved lake water more, loved river waves and swam every day.

Once Kostroma said to Kupala:

Light-winged birds told me yesterday that far, far away, by the Smorodina River, magical songs, world wonderful birds sing. Let's go with you tomorrow morning to that cherished place to hear unprecedented songs.

Kupala immediately agreed to this, he also liked bird singing.

They didn’t say anything to their father and mother, and in the morning they went to the Smorodina River, to the huge World Oak, where the Alkonost bird sat on the right and sang about life and joy, and on the left Sirin sat with a sweet voice and sang songs about the kingdom of the dead.

And Kupala listened to the sad songs of the bird Sirin, which flowed like a murmuring stream. Kupala forgot about everything in the world, closed his eyes, and then the Sirin bird took him to the dark, dead kingdom, and hid it there for years to come. And Kostroma listened to Alkonost the bird, as if flashes of bright flame were her charming songs. Kostroma did not notice how brother Kupala disappeared, and when she looked around, no one was already around. She began to call her dear brother, but Kupala did not respond to her, he was in a dark, distant side under the wing of the Sirin bird.

Since then, many years have passed, and more than once white, fierce blizzards covered a pure field of snow with snow, and more than once then lush grasses sprouted through the winter's malice. Many times since then, the red sun has passed its annual cycle. Troubles often gave way to joy.

Since then, Kostroma has grown up, become a girl - a written beauty. Grooms to Kostroma often wooed, even Veles, wisest god, often looked at her, but none of them was loved by Kostroma.

There is none of them to match me, - she often said to mother, - among them for me there is no equal. I'm a girl, born of the Gods, not immortal, but beautiful. Who can compare with me in skills? I will not go for God for everyone! Hairy old men are no match for me. Hairy and married...

And Night Bathing Suit sighed in response. "Quiet!" - she said to her daughter. Fear, they say, troubles, they say, your beauty is equal to pride, no matter how angry the Gods are. But the lively mother Kostroma did not listen, she kept laughing, braiding her red curls into a braid. Together with other girls, she wove wreaths, but one day the wind-driven Stribog suddenly plucked a wreath from her head. He blew harder, threw it into the water, and the wreath floated downstream. And then the proud Kostroma wished to find a wreath of a groom equal to her. Let a wreath float, looking for a betrothed, so that he is exactly like her in everything!

And June, the month of the earth, was ending on earth, and July, the month of lime, was replacing it. And the day of the solstice was getting closer: until sunset, the sun shines for a long time, brighter than bright, and then a short night comes - a strange, bad time.

At this time, the world freezes in anticipation: something will be ahead, how will everything work out? Water spirits and mermaids, subjects of the mistress of Makosh, a week before the solstice loudly celebrate their wild holiday. Mavkas, vodynitsy, rags and other aquatic women put wreaths on their heads from water lilies, and then they get out of lakes and rivers and let's have fun along the banks. Unbelted, in white shirts, Slavic mermaids frolic, sing, laugh, sway in the trees, or even just sit on the grass and comb their long hair.

tails Slavic mermaids never happened, but they have frisky legs, and therefore they like to dance round dances, but not salting, from left to right, towards the Rule, as live guys and girls do in honor of Horse round, and salting, counterclockwise, from right to left , from world to world Navi.

Water is an amazing element, it gives life to the whole world, but water can also destroy. Through the rivers and lakes there is a path to the kingdom of the underworld, and therefore many spirits of the waters obey, except for Makosh, Veles the wise, especially those that came from the dead, from the drowned. Water spirits, moist, can help the crop grow, or they can flood everything in the bud, and if a person offended them with something or met them at an unkind hour, they will tickle them to death and drag them to their underwater world.

More than others, rags love to tickle all the people they meet, and in order to protect themselves from them in Rusalia, the holiday of all mermaids, people alone in coastal forests and flood meadows tried not to appear, and if they walked, they took garlic and wormwood with them - scare away the rags.

Patchwork from the wormwood used to run away, but the Mavkas did not care. They are not even afraid to step over the circle, over the protective iron chain! The main thing is not to anger the Mavoks, to laugh them off, the living have all hope for this. They will ask for a comb to comb their hair - give it, otherwise it will be worse. True, then the comb will have to be thrown away, otherwise you will go bald yourself, but if you don’t give it, you are greedy - the mavki will be tortured to death.

In appearance, they are such beauties that the world has never seen before: a sweet face, slender legs - everything is like that of the living. Only the beauty of the Mavok is not alive, it is dead. From the back you can see the unbeatable heart, lungs, turned green without air, and the insides soaked in the water. The beauty of their face was rewarded for their unrequited love on earth. After all, drowned women usually become mavkas, ugly, offended by life, that they rushed into the water from unhappy love.

The most vicious among the mermaids are lobsters, they like to hide in the coastal reeds. Older than the lobasta of young Mawks, smarter, stronger, more experienced. Undead they crawl out of the water, their faces are terrible, old women. Whom the lobasts attack, death will be a deliverance.

And Vodyanoy is in charge of all the mermaids - on the days of the summer solstice he does feel like a birthday boy. He is the master of the waters, he grazes his herds of fish in silence at the bottom of rivers and lakes - carps, catfish, bream - like a shepherd of cows in the field. He himself is entangled in mud, with a big belly, with a tail. Instead of hands - goose paws, bug-eyed, like a fish, with a rich beard and green mustache. All the girls are watery, transparent, obey him strictly. Only his daughters, the water maidens, play pranks on the sly from their father: they confuse fishing gear and invite the fishermen under the water with sweet songs.

During the day, Vodyanoy sleeps in the silence of deep pools or under a water mill, and at night he commands the drowned. In fact, Vodyanoy is a kind grandfather, but if he gets angry, gets excited, he can break the nets, flood the houses, or even completely destroy the dam. Most of all, he loves to indulge out of boredom - he will drag some gaping boy from the shore to the bottom and leave him to live to entertain him in the underwater silence.

And the most cheerful and nimble mermen live in springs with clean spring water - “rattling springs” that arose on earth from the lightning strikes of the Perunovs.

At such an unkind time, when Light and Darkness are measuring their strength, a wreath fell into the water of Kostroma and swam to look for her betrothed - beauty and skills like her. Exactly the same. On the waves swayed a wreath of blue, like water, flowers and red flowers, like fire.

What good fellow will catch him, to be the groom of Kostroma. Only a wreath is not given to anyone, it floats along the river, along the river, to unexplored lands.

Mermaids follow him along the water, mavkas with waterworts whisper softly. Like, it would be necessary for our Water Master to talk about that wreath, and even Bishop Veles himself should have known about the girl’s wreath. But in vain the water maidens are worried, Veles the lord has long found out about everything. For a girlish whim, for pride, for words offensive to the Gods, he decided to punish the maiden Kostroma.

By order of the underground Veles, in the gloomy kingdom, the Sirin bird released Kupapa from under its wing, put Kupapa in a boat and sent it to swim along the river-lake. He was carried out of the underworld by water, carried along the rivers to his native side, and then, with an unprecedented current, he was dragged up the Volga River - straight towards his fate.

While Kupala was with the Sirin bird, he grew up, matured, became a fine fellow, a handsome hand-written - with blue eyes, like two lakes, and blond, boiled hair.

Kupala began to look around, standing in a boat, and suddenly he saw a girlish wreath floating towards him, sparkling on the water with bright colors - blue and blue, yellow and scarlet. “It can be seen that the clever beauty was weaving that wreath,” Kupala thinks, “and let it run along the river in order to find her betrothed as soon as possible. If the girl is as beautiful as these flowers, I would like to marry her immediately!

Kupala bent down, picked up a wreath - those flowers smelled of an unearthly smell, they smelled of a forest, a fire and mermaids. And water lilies, and spicy herbs.

At the same moment, the boat carried Kupap right to the one that threw the wonderful wreath. Here Kupala floats, floats in a boat, looks and recognizes his native places - those fields and meadows, groves and forests where he and Kostroma ran together. And then Kupala looks, the girl stands on the shore, looks at him joyfully with all her eyes.

Right to that girl, his boat carried him out, went to the bank of Kupala, holding a wreath in his hands.

Is this your wreath, dear beauty?

Mine, - Kostroma answered quietly.

So they stood, looking at each other. And they fell in love with each other without memory, fell in love as soon as they saw each other. They were matched to each other, like fire and water, which cannot be without each other, but which cannot be together forever ...

Kupala and Kostroma did not recognize each other - to know that Veles was a secret idea. On the same night, without asking anyone about anything, Kupala and Kostroma got married, and the water bears were witnesses to that wedding of an unprecedented wedding. They had fun, rejoicing in the happiness of the young, and bathed with them together with Kupala and Kostroma, and then on the shore they jumped over a bright fire.

Only in the morning did the Bathing Lady find out that a great misfortune had happened to her beloved children. After all, it is impossible for twins, a brother and sister, to love each other in a conjugal way! So the Svarogov Law tells people, so the human law commands.

Bathing suit came to the children with tears, told them the bitter truth. And, as soon as the truth was revealed, in a terrible moment that their happiness ended. Now there was no more place for them on earth. They could not live in marriage, but they could not live separately either.

Out of grief, Kupala jumped into the burning fire and disappeared, as if he had never existed, and Kostroma rushed into the forest lake, and the blue-green waters closed over her head. Joyful Kostroma has become a mavka.

And the Night Bather has since become even blacker and has been dropping her bitter tears-dew on the grass since then in the morning. He doesn’t want to see anyone else, even Semargl doesn’t let his beloved on the threshold anymore. Since then, one has been walking around the world Night-Kupapnitsa, everything is yearning, sad and sad.

The Gods of Iria were also saddened, Veles's revenge was cruel. Yes, and Veles himself spun, he did not feel joy from revenge. But it is no longer possible to correct what has been done, not to reverse the Svarogov circle. And then the cunning Veles decided with his wisdom to breathe life into past suffering: he decided to turn the twins into a flower, so much so that they were inseparable forever. So that they are born again, grow together, so that they intertwine in a single flower. So that both shine in a single flower in blue and yellow-orange.

And by the will of Veles, a wondrous miracle happened in the forest clearing: yellow-blue flowers grew, flowers are bright and mysterious. “Kupala-da-mavka” - people began to call them. And since then, in the meadows and in the forests, those flowers have grown with a red flame, blue water. To this day, they grow in the forests.

You, of course, saw them, dear girls and boys, they are called Ivan da Marya now - according to Orthodox customs. But the flowers are the same, the flowers are ancient, born by Veles - in memory of the twins. And people began to revere Kupapa himself as the God of summer, wild flowers and forest fruits, the God of purification and redemption.

You, of course, have heard about the night on Kupapa - a magical, incomprehensible night on the day of the summer solstice. She is still not forgotten. Since the misfortune happened to the twins, since they died and were reborn in a flower, our distant ancestors began to celebrate the holiday in honor of Kupap and the immortal Gods of Iri - a holiday of life and death, dying and rebirth. Since then, people and Gods began to celebrate the holiday of the sun, water and fire. Since then, this night of the summer solstice has become known among the Slavs as Kupala.

Strange things happen on Kupalskaya night! Even the trees move from place to place, rustle their leaves, talk among themselves. Animals, birds and even herbs talk to each other on this night, and forest flowers are filled with unprecedented power - miraculous, magical power. On this night, people gather cherished herbs, which help in divination, and heal, and become love spells, and protect from misfortunes and troubles.

Only on this night of timelessness, a fern flower blooms in the forests, a plant dedicated to the thunderer Perun - “Perun's Colors”. The witches told our ancestors that, if you go to the forest that night, take a white tablecloth, canvas and a knife with you. With a knife or a burnt torch, draw a circle around the fern bush, spread a tablecloth and sit in a circle, not taking your eyes off the fern bush. Like, various monsters and spirits, subjects of Morena, will terrify and sleep on you, and if you get scared, step out of the circle, tear you apart at the same moment.

Exactly at midnight, a flower bud will appear on the fern, burst with a bang, and an unusually bright, fiery red flower will open. It is necessary to tear it as soon as possible, before another invisible hand grabs the flower. Evil spirits will scream with a terrible voice, the earth will shake, thunder will rumble, and lightning will flash, the wind will rustle, and a terrible roar will be heard, enveloping you with flame and a suffocating smell. But if you are lucky and you take possession of the flower, cover yourself with a tablecloth and run to the village without looking back. If you look back, the flower will disappear, and if not, if you endure all the trials, then the flower will open the past, present and future for you, teach you to look for treasures, introduce you to the secrets of the Gods, teach people to guess and understand the language of birds, animals and plants.

However, people also said that it’s all fiction, an illusion of unclean forces that want to destroy people, that in fact the fern never blooms in the forest, which means there’s nothing to go after it ...

On Kupapa, young men and women poured water over each other with mud mixed, and then they bathed together and sang songs to wash away everything unclean from the soul and body, they arranged baths. In the morning they collected life-giving dew and washed themselves with that dew in order to be healthy. The Slavs believed that at this time the heavens were able to open up for a short moment, and then every wish would come true.

On this night, the sun, after sunset, also bathes in the waters to bring fertility to the earth, and therefore, in honor of the mighty sun - in honor of the round Horse, and the bright Dazhbog, and the ardent Yarila - the wheels tied with straw were lit on Kupala night, an ancient solar symbol, with a dot - hub in the center and beams-knitting needles. And then they started up these burning wheels from the hills, so that they rolled, scattering fire, to the river to the very water. Until now, in some villages, the Kupala holiday is celebrated this way.

They also played burners - a fun game in honor of the sun with songs and catch-ups. It is from the burners that modern tags originated, which you still play with pleasure, dear girls and boys.

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Kupala- a cheerful and beautiful God, dressed in light white robes, decorated with flowers. On the head of God Kupala there is a wreath of beautiful flowers. Kupala was revered as the God of the warm time of Summer, wild flowers and wild fruits.

Many Slavs engaged in field cultivation revered God Kupala on a par with the Goddess Macoshu, as well as the Gods - Perun And Veles. Before the start of the harvest and the harvest of field fruits, in honor of God Kupala, a holiday was celebrated at which bloodless sacrifices were made to God Kupala, as well as to all the Ancient Gods and Ancestors.

Before the start of the harvest and the harvest of field fruits, in honor of God Kupala, a holiday was celebrated at which bloodless sacrifices were made to God Kupala, as well as to all the Ancient Gods and Ancestors.

On the holiday, the Orthodox Old Believers-Ynglings throw their bloodless sacrifices and trebs into the fire of the Sacred Swastika Altar so that everything sacrificed appears on the festive tables of the Gods and Ancestors.

After bringing bloodless sacrifices from the living fire of the Sacred Swastika Altar, the Community members light candles and fires, which they fix on wreaths and rafts and send them along the rivers.

At the same time, Orthodox Old Believers from various Communities slander their innermost desire or request for deliverance from ailments, diseases, all sorts of failures, various problems, etc. on a candle or firelight. This rite can be explained as follows.

A burning candle or firelight illuminates the request or desire of the Community, the water of the river remembers them and, evaporating, rises to Heaven, bringing all requests and desires to the Gods Orthodox Old Believers.

At the feast, each of the Orthodox Old Believers must undergo a complete purification in order to fully cleansed begin to collect field fruits and begin the field harvest. The complete cleansing of the Orthodox Old Believers consists of three parts:

First Purification (Purification of the Body)

Everyone present at the celebration on the Day of God Kupala must wash his body in sacred waters(rivers, lakes, ponds, etc.) to wash away fatigue and dirt.

Second Purification (Purification of the Soul)

In order for those present at the celebration on the Day of God Kupala to be able to purify their Soul, they light large bonfires, and everyone who wants to jump over these bonfires, because Fire burns all negativity and purifies the aura and Soul of a person.

Third Purification (Purification of the Spirit)

Each Community Old Believer present at the celebration on the Day of God Kupala, as well as those who wish, can purify and strengthen their Spirit. To do this, a Fiery Circle is created from the burning coals of a large fire, along which the Old Believers-Ynglings from various Tribal, Slavic and Aryan Communities walk barefoot. Those wishing, who for the first time decided to walk on the coals in order to purify and strengthen their Spirit, the Community members lead by the hand through the Fiery Circle.

This holiday is inextricably linked with another event of antiquity. In ancient times, God Perun freed his sisters from captivity in the Caucasus and sent them to purify themselves in the waters of the Sacred Iriy (Irtysh) and in the Sour Cream Clean Lake (Zaisan Island). This event is also narrated in the fifth ball of Songs of the Gamayun Bird.

Due to the fact that Kupala is the Patron God of the Heavenly Hall of the Horse in the Svarog Circle, on this day it is customary to bathe horses, braid colorful ribbons into their manes and decorate them with wildflowers.

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In tradition Orthodox Christianity there is a holiday that is called - Ivan Kupalo (Ivan Kupala Day). For the Slavs, the Kupala holiday is one of the most important. The custom of celebrating the summer solstice has been preserved since ancient times. One of the Four Solar Breaks, Kupala (summer) is known today more than the winter solstice, Spring or Autumn Equinox.

Kupaloin the pantheon of Slavic Gods

God Kupalo is the son of the God of Fire, Semargl and the Goddess of the Night, the Bathing Lady. He is the twin brother of Kostroma, the Patroness of Lovers. Kupalo is one of the solar Gods, therefore he is also understood as the Summer incarnation of God Khors. In Svarog Krugolet, Kupalo takes over the control of the sunflower World from Yarilo, the God of the Spring Sun, and then transfers the responsibility to monitor the solstice to Avsen - the God of the Autumn Sun.

Legends and myths about the Slavic God Kupalo

After the Goddess of the Night, the Swimsuit, from the God of Fire Semargl, children were born - two twins, a brother and a sister, the boy was named after his mother - Kupalo, and the girl for the unprecedented beauty - Kostroma. Children grew up in caress and maternal love. The son was fine, flexible and cheerful little boy. The daughter grew up disobedient, self-willed, you see, she went to the Father according to her temper. Only brother Kupalo could soften her unexpected antics.

Once Kostroma wanted to listen to the forbidden voice of Sirin, the messenger of the dark World. Kupalo, in the simplicity of his soul, said that the bird sings sweeter than Kostroma. The sister got angry, scolded the bird, threw sand at it. The prophetic bird is not simple, magical. She was offended, but she cast a spell on the children, and she dragged the little boy Kupalo after her. How much, where the boy grew up - the legends are silent, but Kupalo grew up into a tall and smart guy. The spell only continued to act - he did not remember his past and relatives.

And Kostroma grew up with her mother, and so she grew up as a capricious, proud girl with a masterful character. Once, when her simple wreath in Green Mermaids was ridiculed, she declared that even to the Gods she would not give her wreath. Immediately, the spell of the bird Sirin came to life - a playful breeze tore a wreath from Kostroma's head and threw it right into Kupalo's hands. He, by malicious intent, at that time sailed in a boat along the river. He went ashore Kupalo, gave a wreath to Kostroma, everyone immediately sang laudatory songs like a bride and groom.

The sister and brother did not even recognize each other, thinking that they were strangers to each other. That's why they fell in love with just one look. And then even the mother did not recognize her son in Kupala - the witchcraft of the vindictive bird Sirin was so strong. And on the day when it was the longest of the year, they played the wedding of Kupalo and Kostroma. The evil bird Sirin only after the wedding of the young announced the whole truth with her singing.

From such a violation of the harmony, Konov Rule and the Universe, everyone had a hard time. Especially Kostroma - after all, she was constantly showered with ridicule. The proud beauty threw herself into the water out of shame, and her brother into the fire. Yes, only the Gods and Goddesses are immortal, so none of them died, but only cleared of the black spell. After became Kupalo God Summer Sun gaining power over the world in the shortest night.

Symbol and charms Kupalo

Symbol "Fern flower" ("Fern color", "Perunov color").

Such a symbol was called the color of Perun only because Kupalo once made a gift to God the Thunderer - a scarlet flower of love. With this flower-gift, the God of Love and Fertility softened the character of the God-Warrior and Justice. Therefore, Perun was then only able to find his Perunitsa - the Goddess of Thunder and Rain, Diva Dodola.

But there are other stories that say that on the birthday of his brother and sister, Perun himself gave such a flower to the twins as nephews (Semargl is Perun's brother). Whatever it was, but Perunov color The Slavic God Kupalo always revived on the magical night of the solstice.

This symbol is able to give people:

• powerful protection against any dark force;
• protect from damage, evil eye and disease;
• treasure hidden in the ground;
• internal self-confidence;
• fulfillment of a cherished dream;
• profitable work;
• happiness and success in life.

Manifestation of God Kupala for the Slavs

The Slavs believed that the coming of God Kupala for them is:

• top of summer;
• flourishing life;
• Love.

We can say that it is the Kupala days that are celebrated as the very core of summer, Kologoda and the rush hour of the Solstice. This is the time when everything has already been sown, what is needed is planted. Shoots gave their strong sprouts and continue their life cycle. It is too early to harvest, so at this time you can pay tribute to the family, its continuation, think about love, create your own family, strengthen existing family ties. In such a flowering, all living beings awaken and are exposed to true love.

Attributes of God Kupalo

Bird- cuckoo, tit, jay, robin, lark, woodcock.

totem bird- a fiery rooster, symbolizing the tongues of a fiery flame and the element of fire.

Heraldry, symbolism- the sun, with bright flashes and numerous rays.

Festive paraphernalia- embroidered towels, tablecloths, scarves, clothes.

Ritual holiday paraphernalia- high bonfire - Kupalets, a fiery wheel that needs to be thrown into the water, wreaths with candles, launched into flowing water.

Flower- fern color .

Treba, (offering)- a symbolic sacrifice - rooster feathers, bread loaf, flowers and herbs, symbolizing love.

God Kupalo in the northern tradition of divination

Reza Kupalo's number - 35

Meaning: it is important to stop, The questioner is wrong now!

The reason for the appearance of Reza in the scenario: the fate of the Questioner's family and the severity of past trials can push him to repeatedly repeat mistakes.

Challenge (what needs to be done and what quality to show): you still have to make a choice, despite the situation and troubles; you have to admit that the consequences of mistakes make their own corrections to fate.

Warning (do's and don'ts): to find out who is right, who is to blame for past mistakes - there is no point now. It is best to try to fix something without jumping to conclusions.

Instruction (mandatory): it's time to think about the reasons that led to wrong actions and deeds, therefore, you should take responsibility - this will help not to repeat mistakes.

Advice (optional): a person has a deep sense of guilt, which is better to admit quickly. The shadow side comes out through repeated wrong actions, which is why it is so necessary to admit one's shortcomings. The sooner the Questioner recognizes the reverse side of the personality in himself, the faster everything will go to correct the situation.

Consolation (what circumstance should be kept in mind): what makes an imperfect person better is overcoming difficulties.

Reza Kupalo in the alignment means that the time has come for the Questioner to reassess himself. The God of the Summer Sun warns - you should think about the fruits of deeds and deeds not when you have done them, but before you intend to do them.

God Kupalo in the northern tradition of magic

Rites of fulfillment of aspirations:

1. A call for good luck, happiness, love, a strong family.
2. Attracting success in business.
3. Spell for good and good relations with relatives.
4. Strengthening relationships with your children.

God Kupalo himself survived hard fate, but still found the strength to change. He achieved his happy share because he understood one important thing - a thoughtless, frivolous and irresponsible life leads to sad consequences. At the same time, in every sad story there is a bright thread that is given by the Goddess of Fates Makosh. That is why on Kupala nights, from year to year, people turn to Kupala for love, wisdom, a better life.

Nauses of God Kupalo

Nauz "Joy of life", turned to God Kupalo, created in certain cases. This is usually necessary when a person:

• lost joy in life;
• does not see the space around him, feels in a vice, oppressed;
• lost the sense of beauty, love and happiness;
• began to feel dullness in life, insipidity, monotony;
• languishing from the monotony and routine.

The God of the Summer Sun loves joy, bright colors, sunlight, turbulent changes in life. God Kupalo helps people to see the beauty of earthly life, returning them again to love of life and joy!

During weaving, it is important to mentally imagine something beautiful, warming the soul, pleasing. And also pay attention to the words of the conspiracy themselves and create images within yourself according to the spoken text. After making the nauz, you should carry it with you.

The Slavic god Kupalo fills people with the power of procreation. For men who feel a decrease in their strength, fatigue, malaise, insomnia, it would be good to turn to God Kupala. To do this, they weave the “Male Strength” nauz, which helps not only to continue one’s family, but also to keep the heroic bodily strength.

How will nauz help?

The knot, together with the plot, creates the following useful action:

• remove "inductions and ghosts";
• corporality is brought into a healthy state;
• give renewal, new strength.

How to act?

The magic knot is tied only under a special slander, which is pronounced three times. During the manufacture of a powerful amulet and amulet, it is extremely important to clearly imagine the conspiracy action itself, which is described in the content of the conspiracy.

After that, the finished nauz should be carried on the chest for three days, and on the fourth day it is removed, no longer put on, but hidden away from prying eyes. In order to repeat the effect of the magic knot again, a new knot is tied. After some time (you will feel this need yourself), you should burn all such nauses. Ashes after them are washed off with running water.

The magical night of Kupala is good for conceiving a child. It was believed that children who were conceived on such a night would be beautiful, strong, gifted. Therefore, the young spouses tried to knit the “Conception of a Child” nauz.

How will nauz help?

This magical bundle endows the wearer with the power to give birth to a beautiful and healthy child.

There is only one condition - the nauz is tied for those spouses and couples who have already "jumped over the fire." This event among the Slavs was equated with the public recognition of love and the desire to start a family.

How to act?

You need to knit a nauz from a red thread, cord or rope made from natural fibers. Everything is done necessarily within 40 days with the recitation of the plot according to a certain scheme. The ceremony begins on the new moon, when all the threads are knitted one by one, along with a conspiracy.

They stop wearing nauz and hide it in a distant drawer only after three months of close interaction and wearing with it.

Kupalo - Patron God

The gods favor those who:

• similar to them,
• or specifically asked them for patronage.

But every person who came to this world during the period from June 22 to September 22, stood under the auspices of God Kupalo, the God of the Summer Sun. It must be said here that if your birthday fell on a border number, then you need to look for the exact dates in the year of your arrival in the World that were the days of the Solstice.

Day of God Kupala - Kupala holiday

Some traditions believe that the dates of the Kupala holiday are July 7, June 24. In the tradition of the north, a date is adopted that coincides with the astronomical - June 20-21.

With the advent of the Kupala holiday, Nature has already blossomed. People, with their joy, reverence for God Kupalo, join the life-giving force of the entire manifest World - they kindle the ritual bonfire Kupalets, offer praises to the God of Fire, bring the demand - the best loaf to which they previously put their hands and made wishes. Then everyone jumps over the burnt-out fire. The fiery wheel was lit and rolled out into the water to the loud cries of the people. Girls and boys weaved wreaths of herbs and flowers, lit candles, sentenced their aspirations to the wreaths and let them float on the water. The Slavs sometimes used to say that this is a "wedding of fire and water."

IV. System of Slavic mythology. 3. Personifications of the sun among the Eastern Slavs. Kupalo is the god of the fruits of the earth.

It remains to cast a glance at Little and White Rus'. Here on Ivanovo night is also proclaimed in songs the name of Ivan, but, especially in Little Russian song refrains, Ivan is usually combined with the name KUPALO. The holiday itself is called the holiday Ivana Kupala; under this name, he is also known in some places of Great Rus', but the name Kupala is not found in Great Russian songs. It is enough to look at the list of deities that I have just presented, honored by the people at the time high solstice, to make sure that Kupalo there is a Belarusian and Little Russian name for the same deity, which in other places mentioned above was called Fret (Ligo, Lodo), Yaril, Jan, Ivan. Meanwhile, the name Kupalo is not only almost never found in geographical names, but is even mentioned in written monuments no earlier than XVI century in the annals of Stryikovsky.

In geographical dictionaries, only the following names are noted: Bathhouse Old, settlement in the Moscow province., on the river Kupavne; Kupavna(or Kipel), places in the Volyn province., And a few more names, the connection of which, however, with the name of Kupala is more than doubtful: Kupin, Kupishki, Kupyevakha on the river. Kupevahe and others - [Semenov. Geographic-stat. words., Shchekatov. words. geogr. See resp. name] This allows us to make an assumption about its rather late appearance; nevertheless, however, in view of the surviving to our time and few - and Belarusians are undoubtedly ancient, characteristic, associated with celebration of Ivanov's day, more precisely rituals of Ivanovo night, it is very likely that the name Kupala, proclaimed during the performance of these rites, replaced the more ancient name of some other pagan solar god, perhaps Yaryl (Tur), who has survived so far not only in Great, but even in White Rus'; however, in White Rus', Yarilo is honored only at the time of early spring.

– Kinship or identity Kupala and Yaril is confirmed by the following data: according to Professor Buslaeva, the root -kup- combines the same concepts as the roots - yap- And -buoy- : Firstly, kup has the meaning of white, ardent, and also violent in the sense of luxuriously growing , whence in our language are common: kupavy - white, kupava - white flower, kupavka - flower budwhite flowers . Here are the following expressions: Kupava(or Kupavna) - a woman with a proud step, a woman magnificently dressed [Pskov., Tvers. lip.] (Supplementary to the Region of words 96). “On our street - everything bathing good fellows. - No, no, no who bought"- is sung in one Little Russian Kupala song (Works of these senior exp. III, 201). Well done are named here "bathed" , probably in the same sense magnificently, in a festive way, dressed up guys like the just named Kupava. In the Bulgarian song we meet the expression " kupava rakia”- probably in the sense: light, transparent vodka.

Since the letters at And s sometimes alternate, then the kup root may have a different form - kyp, Kupavna-Kipel - from here boil and boil (boil) - in the meaning of white scale and generally speaking whiteness - "white as boiling". Secondly, " ardent" and "violent" contain the concept ebullient, indomitable, furious, irritated; accordingly in Sanskrit kup - not only to shine, but also to rage, be angry, glory. boil, boil, boil - get excited, angry.

Finally, thirdly, as with the word "angry", "rage" inseparable concept desires, desires , so with our "boil" find lat. cupio. From here Kup-alo and Yari-lo would mean the same fruitful deity of summer. [Afanasiev. Poetic views of the Slavs on nature III, 713].

In Little and White Rus', the Kupala celebration , regardless of the kindling of fires, is associated with burning or drowning a scarecrow and a tree, called the first Kupala, the second - Madder, sometimes vice versa - a rite that obviously has a similar meaning with spring wires. Mermaids, or the burial of Yaril in Great Rus', with the only difference that the Kupala effigy is usually dressed in a woman's dress, and in general the name "Kupalo" is predominantly proclaimed in songs in the female form: "Kupala", "Kupalka", as well as in the Kupala holiday itself, feminine element. We saw above that Yarilino's festival is timed to Peter's day —July, 12 and takes place immediately before or after the Petrovsky fast, around the same time there are also seeing off spring and mermaids , bypassing the time of fasting, which is inconvenient for riotous games. The Kupala holiday is dedicated to Ivanov's day - V night from 6 to 7 July. This difference is naturally caused by local conditions: among the southern and western Slavs, as well as in Galician, Lesser and White Rus', Ivanov's day in general ritually has a positively superior significance before Peter's Day, in the celebration of which only in places there is, as it were, a faint reflection of Kupala rites. On the contrary, in many places in Great Rus' the preponderance is on the side Peter's day in which, in places popular belief,the sun "plays" at sunrise, like the southern Slavs and in Little and White Rus' - on Ivan's day . However, as already noted earlier, in some Great Russian provinces (Yaroslavl, Tver and Ryazan), according to Snegirev, the common people the holiday "Ivan Kupala" calls Yarila.

Kupalo, according to the interpretations of the Gustin Chronicle and Gizel, is recognized as the god of fertility and compared to Ceres. In this respect, he is again identified with Yaril-Pripekal and ancient Italian Hercules, Sicilian Eryl, who, as a good genius of the rural population, was revered, next to Ceres. .

Kupala, according to the Gustinsky chronicle, “Insanity for an abundance of thanksgiving is brought to the Shah at that time, when the harvest is imminent. To this Kupala-bes even to this day in some countries, insane memory is done more June 23 days, on the eve of the Nativity of John the Baptist, even before the harvest and then in a chinese way: in the evening, a simple child of both sexes and weave themselves crowns from poisonous potion or korea, and girded with past, ignite the fire; indezhe supply the green branch, and driving around at the wheel, turning around the onago fire, singing their songs, weaving Kupala; Then through this fire they gallop «. [PSRL II, 257].
"Idol Kupalo, - writes Gizey, - his god of the fruits of earthly life I swear, and to him the charms "of demonic gloom thanksgiving and sacrifices at the beginning of the reaping offerings. Then Kupala God, or more truly a demon, and until now, in some Russian countries, the memory still holds, especially on the eve of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, gathered by the evening of the young men of the male, girlish and female sex, they weave crowns for themselves from a certain potion and put them on their heads and gird themselves with them. Still on that demonic plaything they put both fire and around him, clutching at the hand, wickedly walk and jump, and sing songs, the nasty Kupala often repeats, and gallops through the fire, they sacrifice themselves to the same demon Kupala and they do a lot of other devilish actions at nasty cathedrals, it’s absurd to write them". [Synopsis, 47-48].

That both of these testimonies refer to the southern and western regions Russia - about Little and White Rus' , it can be concluded with certainty from the fact that both authors believe Midsummer Day coinciding with the beginning of the harvest - "June 23". Neither in the middle, nor even more so in the northern and eastern provinces of Russia, in a word in Great Rus', from Ivanov's day it is unthinkable to start reaping, because at this time the bread here is still quite green.
In songs, as I have already noticed, Kupala's name predominantly used in the female form, but it is often found in masculine, For example:
Little Russian: “Oh, the fire will burn on Kupail ...”[Proceedings of ethn.-st. exp. III, 199]

Walking with "Marena" and "Kupal" to a chosen place, they sing a song with the following refrain, in which Kupalo is compared with Marena:

Little girls walked around the water-sea,
Kolo Marina Kupalo!
Gratheme (will play) sonechko
On Ivan.

While jumping over lit fires, they sing:

There were girls around Marinochka,
Kolo my Vudol (or: diva) - Kupala! ..
(or: Kolo Volodimer Kupala!) [Passek. Pts. Ross. I, 97, 100]

Belorussian.:

And on Ivan Kupala
Go dzevki tear the grass.[Shane. Belarusian folk songs 144]

From the numerous rites performed during the Kupala celebration and which will be considered more closely elsewhere, it is clear that next to the sun god and even preferably, honored a female deity, namely Kupala, Kupala or Marena, moreover, many of these rites are performed by women: this can already be seen from the above excerpts of Kupala songs, where we are talking about "little girls" performing ritual circumambulation of Marena and Kupala . This trait brings us back to the rites performed at Mount Sorakta.

Here is what Strabo writes about the Soraktsky sanctuary: "At the foot of mountains of Sorakty lies the city of Feronia, bearing the name of a local, highly revered by the surrounding residents, goddesses; in a grove dedicated to her, a sacred ceremony is performed; goddess inspiredwalk unscathed, barefoot, through heaps of blazing fires and ash, and numerous crowds of people flock here, both for the sake of this annual national celebration, and for the sake of the mentioned spectacle. .

Above I have quoted Virgil's words relating to To , which I consider it necessary to repeat here: "The highest of the gods, - addresses him - Arruns, you whom we call first of all, to whom lighting pine wood fires , for whose sake we, who serve you, in the hope of piety, we step firmly through the fire on flaming coals!«. The fact that the mentioned holiday took place in honor of the solar god Apollo. confirms and Pliny: "Not far from Rome, he writes, in the area of ​​​​the falisques, several families live, bearing the name gyrpins. They, during annual sacrifices in honor of Apollo on Mount Sorakte, walk, without burning themselves, on lit bonfires ”. These ancient testimonies of veneration by burning fires and other rites Apollo of Soran and the goddess Feronia combined with him, coincide with the above testimonies about our Kupala celebration.
Should it be considered mere chance that immediately after Midsummer Day - June 24 we celebrate wearing something similar to Feroniy the name of St. Fevroniya —June 25 ? Saint in Great Rus' Agrafena, honored on June 23, received the nickname "Bathroom".
Again I return to the name of the mountain Soracts . Pliny, speaking of fire-breathing mountains in different countries and mentions the Hephaestus mountains in Lycia; fire-breathing mountains in general, the Romans got the name "Volcano" from italian Hephaestus - Vulcan. Mount Sorakta volcanic origin. And she obviously got her name from the god of primeval fire, but already Slavic Hephaestus - Feosta - Fta - Svarog. Sorakta = Svarogov mountain (cf. Saurachberg, Saureggen, Soroga and etc. Apollo Soransky, obviously none other than "The sun is the king, the son of Svarogov, the hedgehog is Dazhbog" , according to the Ipatiev Chronicle, is a solar god, known and revered in different types And under different names in all Slavic lands . Apollo Soransky, coinciding with the "baking" Jupiter Anxur, most of all correspond good god bronton , a representative of the baking heat - "liar » – In Italian Enetov, Radegast-Svarozhich and Pripekalo of the Baltic Slavs, Sim Eryl (Yarilo) - Lad - Kupalo Eastern Slavs and Sicilian Eryl.

Apollo Soransky, and Jupiter Anxur, closely similar to us, is combined with Feronia - Gerunya - Yarunya, relating to Eryl (Yarilu - Yarun), as Lada to Lada, as Kupala and Marena - to Kupala. I will talk about the exact, multilateral coincidence of Feronia with Lada - Kupala later, for now I will limit myself to what has been said, since here I mean only the definition of meaning and character solar god Yaril - Lada - Kupala . Connection Feronia - Eruni with Yaril - Eril (Erilus, Herilus) is expressed in the fact that, according to the ancient tradition reported by Virgil, Eril was the son of Feronia .

Picture of Yaril's filial relationship with Feronia, obviously inspired by Greek the myth of Priapus, who was the son of Aphrodite, quite corresponding to Feronia - Lada - Kupala. The real the meaning of Eril among the Italians already in the time of Virgil, no doubt was forgotten how, in general, in Roman mythology, very many ancient mythological representations of peoples turn out to be forgotten, distorted and obscured by later Latino-Greek myths and ideas, fragmentarily or in groups, unexpectedly for a researcher of Slavic antiquities, pop-up among the Slavic peoples, throughout the vast space occupied by them, from the Adriatic to Kamchatka.

And to this day, despite the millennia that have elapsed since the appearance of these ideas in the popular consciousness, many of the ancient pagan concepts, undoubtedly among the ancient Italians, continue to exist with extraordinary stamina and manifest themselves in the minds of the Slavic peoples, coexisting peacefully with the dogmas of the Christian faith, obscure and poorly assimilated and even often applied backwards, brought into line with the pagan worldview of the people. Not only the force of habit to the ancient worldview, to ancient customs and rituals, serves as the reason for their unshakable stamina in folk life: this stamina is due deep roots, which pagan religious ideas managed to start up in the minds of the people, and this, in turn, is determined the natural simplicity of the foundations of the religious worldview of the pagan Slavs, located in the closest connection with the material life of the farmer and cattle breeder.

The whole life of a villager his whole well-being directly depends on a commensurate number of emanating from a height skies of warmth and light, on the one hand, and moisture - with another. Therefore, it is natural, first of all, idolizes the source of light and moisture - the sky or primeval, not created, but all-creating fire , and then, with the most sincere, sincere cult, he honors the pouring light and moisture from the sky, in the face of light shining sun king and just the same bright, radiant solar sister, queen-water .

How on Mount Sorakte merged into one celebration Apollo of Soran and Feronia, so in all the main solar festivals of the Slavs everywhere they are honored at the same time and sun and water as physical phenomena, as well as in the face of their divine representatives.
Let's pay attention to the fact that winter holiday lower solstice - the birth of the sun, accompanied consecration of water associated with sprinkling, dousing with water or swimming in holes. Spring solar holidays of St. George and Easter are connected everywhere: 1st - with riding on the dew , to which miraculous power is universally attributed on this day, and bathing 2nd - with ritual by mutual pouring on the second and third days of the holy week , as a result of which Tuesday this week in the Tula province. called "bathroom ". [Add. to the region words. 96].

Finally, Celebration of the High Solstice on Midsummer Day also accompanied by various rites by the water gathering dew and bathing in river waters, to which at least curative and preventative and all sorts of evils than those kindled on the eve of Midsummer, in honor of sun god, lights.
Representative the sun as a male element Kupala festival, Belarusian rituals , the memory of which has been preserved, however, now only in Kupala songs, is Kupalish - guy whom other guys elected as the head of dances and games during the departure of the Kupala celebration. Kupalish, as befits a representative of the sun, was on a horse :

- Oh, no, no Kupalisha
Yak over our Mikolay,
Yong rides on a horse,
You look like a dick.[Nosovich. Dictionary of the Belarusian dialect 269-270] - Nemam swimsuit
Yak our Yan,
He is not a hoji foot,
Ride yako sir.
Ride on a horse
And right in the face
Take a cart
Dzevcha gdyby kvyat (i.e. beautiful as a flower) ...

Kupalo was revered as the god of the fruits of the earth. It is clear that his replacement saint john the baptist became in popular imagination patron of the fields. According to Kupala songs, sun on midsummer day rises" effortlessly" and "Yana majestic" ; it brings forth a crop of bread. St. himself Jan (John), as guardian about the fruits of the earth and the guardian of crops, walks around and looks after

We have clearly traced under what names among various Slavic peoples is revered summer sun , from the moment of its highest standing, receding, and therefore at this time with honors, escorted by well-known, more or less uniform everywhere, rituals. We have seen that the sun deity is honored at this time under the names: Lada, Yarila, Kupala , mainly in the person of St. John the Baptist (St. Jan, Ivan Kupala).
Above I made an approximation between Radegast, Lad and Yaril; now joined the same series, therefore, more Kupalo.

Comparison of Radegast with Lad-Yaril-Kupal unwittingly leads us to a very close parallel between the ancient the Italic gods Picus, Faunus and Liber , in turn, in many respects coinciding with the Slavic deities just named. for similarity Radegast with Pikus.

Let me dwell on this issue a little more: prophetic bird of Mars, woodpecker (Picus), Preller says, "in the course of time became forest demon and a rural patron spirit, and in the legends of the Lavrentians - even a king and warlike knight. As a Sileno-like forest demon, loving springs and gifted with a prophetic spirit, Ovid has him ( fast. III, 291 et seq.) is displayed next to a homogeneous with it Faun... In other legends, he appears in the form farming genius "; at Arkon temple went, "in the name of faith" post-sacrificial feasts [Saxo Grammar]; V stetin ski "continents" "were placed benches and tables", for which the citizens who converged here in order to " drink and play, or talk about your business » [Gerbord].

The image of Peak, according to Ovid's description, represented " statue of a young man in white marble, he wore a woodpecker on top of his head; this statue, decorated with many wreaths, stood in a sacred shrine“.[Virgil. En. VII, 170 et seq. Transl. Shershenevich. – Ovid. Metam. XIV, 313 et seq.].

Radegast-Svarozhich.
« In the land of redari, - writes Titmar, - there is a city named Ridegost, triangular shape, equipped three gates and surrounded on all sides by carefully preserved local residents sacred grove... At the gate (facing the sea) stands an elaborate wooden sanctuary, resting instead of a foundation, on the horns of animals. People came here for prayers, sacrifices and divination. It was also here that public meetings were undoubtedly held. feast, as it happened at other famous sanctuaries and temples of the Baltic Slavs. outdoor the walls of the temple are decorated with wonderful carvings representing images of various gods and goddesses; inside the temple statues of the gods stand, terrible in appearance, as they are equipped fully armed and dressed in helmets and armor " … “The city of them (redares) is world-famous Retra, – writes Adam Bremensky, the center of pagan worship, where they erected big temple in honor of the demons.

"Here and banners, which are taken out of the temple only as a last resort, when the people go to battle", - says Titmar, he also mentions the gifts brought to the gods of the Retre sanctuary upon returning from the campaign. These gifts undoubtedly included part of the spoils of war, as positively testified by Saxo in relation to Svyatovit Arkonsky. "The chief of the gods (of the Retre temple), by name Svarozhich enjoys special adoration and respect among all pagans"(Titmar).
The first place in the Retre temple, according to Adam of Bremen, is occupied by Redigast. His idol is made of gold, and the bed is made of purple cloth. - The head of Radegast is vigorous, according to later legends, was decorated a bird sitting on it with outstretched wings , in the left hand he held an ax with two blades, and on the right - the image bull's head: national coat of arms, probably in the form of a shield. .

Despite, however, all the militancy of the situation described, according to ancient writers, in the image of Picus (a bird or a king), his prophetic nature was predominantly given out. .

Just like that Radegast, bringing together features of the god of fertility, like Dionysus, just like the god of war, like Mars, similar with Garan-Hercules, the god of the omen - picus, so Radegast was famous throughout the Slavic world mainly for his famous oracle.
Picus gets close to faun, which in the Lavrentian legend even called the son of Picus. Faun, eclipsed by the Greek Pan, with whom he was subsequently identified, by the very meaning of his name ( faveo = auspicious ), There is god is kind, benevolent, guardian, How Radegast for the welfare of the people, good genius of mountains and valleys, fertilizing fields, cattle and people, founder of good morals . Horace calls him "comrade of the goddess of love ". The shepherds revered him as the god of the fertilizer of cattle (Inuus). Faun combined with Faun , identical with Bona dea, good, good goddess, or Italian Lada. The listed qualities of the Faun, which, however, are far from exhausting his many-sided nature, bring him closer to Ladom - Yaril - Kupala how the character of this deity is expressed in the meager remains of Slavic songs associated with his cult.

I will note another interesting feature: in one of the legends The faun is combined with the nymph Marica, which, as will be shown below, is similar in name to Belarusian Marysia , often found in folk songs, as well as with Little Russian Kupala Madder or Marinochka honored simultaneously with Kupala.

A special god-fertilizer of all wildlife recognized by the ancient Italians god of fun and joy Liber , similar to Scandinavian freyr and Great Russian Ladom - Yaril - Kupala. Name Liber identical with the name Freyr . His emblem was the phallus. , in the form of which honored the fertilizing god in ritual processions and songs ; phallus excelled in the cults of Freyr and Yaril.

The main holiday in honor of Liber sent at the harvest of grapes, like the Kupala holiday - at the beginning of the harvest . Liber is combined with Libera commonly identified with Venus. Influenced by Greek culture Liber and Libera merged with couple Dionysus and Persephone. Liber and Liber correspond to the Slavs - Lad and Lada, Kupalo and Kupala (Marena), Yarilo - Yarun and Old Italic Feronia - Yarunya, which, like Libera, is identified with Persephone.

I repeat here, regarding the named Slavic deities, in relation to the ancient Italian deities, representatives spring and spring fertility: with its abstraction, impersonality and incorporeality, Lad - Yarilo - Kupalo on the one hand, and the female deities corresponding to them, on the other, differ from each other not so much in their inherent nature, in general closely similar, intrinsic meaning , how many features are established in honor of their rites and customs.

After my digression, in order to clarify the close relationship that exists between Fret - Yaril - Kupal and Radegast-Svarozhich (Pripekal) , and, through him, with the ancient Italian solar deities: Apollo of Soran, Jupiter-Anxur, Mars Peak, Faun and Liber, back to Eastern Slavs. Comparing all the above facts related to idolization of the sun among Russians , we find the following characteristic feature: with the exception of Yaril - Lada - Kupala, all other ideas about the deity of the sun do not go beyond zoomorphism: Khors-Dazhbog, Tur, Avsen are honored in the images of a horse (horse), bull, goat (or ram), just like in the most ancient Italian cults. Even Yarilo does not seem to be an anthropomorphic image in the full sense of the word: in Belarus, the main role is played not so much by a girl - Yarilo, how much is a white horse , on which the girl rides . We will see below that even Saint George, who replaced the sun god in Christianity, sometimes in Belarus called "horse" , just like the Czechs magical (solar) horse named after a saint John the Baptist - Janek .

In the Great Russian Yaril the main role is played again not so much the image of the old man-Yaril, how much inevitable phallus, as an emblem of lust and fertility excited by the heat of the sun. The only completely anthropomorphic representation can be called the sun in the form of the god of harmony, marriage and fun. Lada - Kupala , so, however, indefinite, not plastic in the minds of the people, that even its gender is often doubtful: songs usually dominate female form (Lada, Kupala) before male (Lada, Kupala), as a result of which it can even be assumed that both of these names originally originated in the female form, and from them a masculine one has already developed, like the corresponding Italian to the god Majus, formed from the name of the goddess Maja.

Finally, as noted earlier, the sun is revered in Rus' in the form of a kind, caring woman, a woman - MOTHER OF THE RED SUN , the image of which, however, is not embodied in folk rituals.
In this moment, a completely new, independent feature is revealed, a turning point in the mythological views of the Russian people, caused by the more severe climatic conditions of the country they occupy; under the influence of the harsh climate in the north, the connection with the most ancient southern legends is broken: the sun in the form of a woman, "Mother Sun" - performance, completely unknown in the southern latitudes, where the scorching luminary is personified mainly in the image of the victorious, bright warrior. So far in the environment South Slavic peoples sing songs about "marriage" of the sun ; at Eastern Slavs , just like the Lithuanian peoples (and the Germans) now Sun preferably presented in the form of a woman . In Russian carols, in which the glorified master's family is likened to heavenly bodies, the mistress of the house is usually compared with the sun, and the owner with the moon; in Little Russian and Belarusian carols there is sometimes an inverse comparison, in Great Russian songs, as well as in Great Russian spells the sun reveals the feminine nature . Perhaps this gave rise to the renaming of the figures in the Great Russian Christmas masquerade, “although it is more likely that I suggested earlier that in the face of the Christmas “filly” and honored the sun's sister, the Queen of Water.

Famintsyn Alexander Sergeevich. IV. System of Slavic mythology. 3. Personifications of the sun among the Eastern Slavs. .

Kupala - Slavic god

Kupala - Slavic god personifying the active creative principle of sunlight. In the East, this energy is called tajas.

A more correct pronunciation of the name Kupailo. He is the son of god Semargla and bathing suits goddesses night. He was born on the summer solstice with his sister Kostroma, whom he later, I don't know, married.

As a child, Kupala became interested in singing the Sirin Bird (one of the dark incarnations of God Veles) and disappeared in the world of Dark Navi. And after a long time he met with Kostroma and they fell in love without knowing each other. The day after the wedding, they learned that they were brother and sister and their marriage was forbidden. After that, they decided to drown themselves. Kupala died, and Kostroma became a mavka - an evil mermaid who dragged lonely guys and gave them to be torn to pieces by water spirits.

It is on the Day of Ivan Kupala that the Slavic day of lovers is celebrated.

Legend has it that the god of the mysterious Moon and the raging Fire Simargl, son Svarog, appeared to our ancestors in the form of a fiery winged pa. Simargl the immortal guardian of the heavenly hearth and he was never allowed to leave his post. This is a mighty god who, with a fiery sword in his hand, incessantly protected the Sun from earthly evil.

Simarg loved the Swimsuit, the goddess of the night. Every day she called Simargl to her on the banks of the Volga (River Ra), but he could not leave his post. But one day, on the day of the autumnal equinox, he could not resist a strong feeling, descended from the sky and knew his beloved. After that, the night gradually won time from the Sun, becoming longer and longer.

9 months later, on the day of the summer solstice, the twins Kupala and Kostroma were born. In honor of such an event, brother Simargl Perun gave his nephews some of his power by wrapping it in a very beautiful flower. But they decided to give it to the people. We now know this flower as a blooming fern on the night of Ivan Kupala.

On the banks of the river Ra, the bird Sirin loved to sing - one of the dark incarnations of the god of wisdom. Veles. She knew many songs, and her voice was so beautiful that neither people nor gods having heard her voice, they could not stop and wanted to continue listening to her. Simargl warned his son, but he Kupala was too stubborn and believed that his willpower was enough to resist the charms of Sirin and ran away from home. Hearing the song of the enchanted bird, Kupala could not stop and went after her to the world of Navi (the world of dreams and the dead).

For many years his parents were looking for him. but never found. Time passed. Kostroma grew into a beautiful girl, her beauty was incredible and many guys called her to marry, but no one won her heart. Then she wove a wreath of wild flowers and said whoever removes the wreath from her head will marry him. But no one has been able to do it.

Then she went to the bank of the Ra river and, throwing her head back to the sun, told the gods that there was no one worthy of me in the world ... And then a stream of icy wind tore a wreath from her head and knocked it over into the water, right next to the boat of one handsome stranger. The stranger gave Kostroma a wreath and they got married on the day of the summer solstice. the next day, Simarg and Bather recognized their long-lost son Kupala in their son-in-law, and the children could not bear the fact that their love was forbidden and decided to end their lives together by drowning themselves in the river.

Kupala died there, and Kostroma became a Mavka, lured lonely young men turning into a beautiful girl, and when she realized that it was not her beloved Kupala, she gave them to be torn to pieces by water spirits. After that, she grieved for a long time. The gods took pity on her and returned Kupala from the world of the dead and merged them into a single flower, which is now known as Ivan da Marya, only his name was Russian.