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Next: 6 to 7 Jul 2027

Kupala Night

A Slavic midsummer night of bonfires, when young women float flower wreaths down the river.

I. I. Sokolov. Kupala Night. 1856
Photo: Ivan Sokolov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What happens

Kupala Night is the old midsummer festival of the eastern Slavs, kept by tradition on the night of 6 to 7 July. Young women weave wreaths of field flowers and herbs and wear them through the evening. After dark they set them on the river, sometimes with a candle. A wreath that floats far promises a happy marriage, and young men downstream try to catch one. People leap over bonfires, and the bold go into the forest to look for the fern flower, which is said to bloom for a moment at midnight.

The flowers

WreathWoven from field flowers and floated on water at night.Fern flowerA flower of legend, since ferns do not bloom.CornflowerCornflower, a favourite of the wreath.

More flowers and customs of Kupala Night

Decoration Kupala NightКупа́лле / Иван Купала / Івана Купала / Noc Kupały Slavic midsummer festival with flower garlands, bonfires, and water rituals 🇧🇾 Belarus and 5 more · Custom, Jun to Jul
About this page

Original text by the Phool desk, written with AI assistance. Background: "Kupala Night" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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