It is one of the most significant and is traditionally held all across the country. The main task of the holiday is to preserve folk songs of the Kupala, traditions that have been preserved among the people for centuries, and today they give people bright and warm emotions of joy, generosity and solidarity. There are many amazing legends and stories with Kupala. The people believed that on this night the rivers shine with a special ghostly light, and the souls of the dead in the guise of mermaids bathe in their waters. Witches, sorcerers and spirits walk the earth, striving to harm people, plants and animals talk, and the sun «plays» at dawn.
You can see these wonders, understand the language of animals and birds with the help of a fern, which, according to popular belief, blooms only for a moment once a year. It gave the supernatural ability to see the future and find the hidden treasures of the world, but only a very brave person could get it. The search for «paparats-kvetki» is one of the most mysterious rituals of the Kupala night.
There are still many symbolic rituals at Kupala:
• collection of medicinal herbs and flowers, which acquire special power on this night;
• ritual of purification by fire (people jumped over the Kupala bonfire, they burned the «sun» wheel, the clothes of the sick, old things);
• fortune-telling for the future (girls let Kupala wreaths float on the water);
• ritual dinner;
• rituals of protecting houses and fields from evil spirits;
• prayer for a rich harvest and prosperity;
• ritual songs and round dances, fun games;
• ritual of cleansing with water at dawn, washing with dew.
Since ancient times, all residents of villages, young and old, participated in Kupala, because only the general performance of rituals ensured well-being.