7th form 2016-2017, Ivan Kupala Day

Ivan Kupala Day (Basic Level)

All living things on Earth depend on the energy that comes from the sun. In Russia, people honour the sun on Midsummer Day, or Ivan Kupala Day. It’s an ancient holiday still celebrated in a lot of countries, including Russia. The celebration takes place every year around the summer solstice. It’s the day when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. It’s a fun holiday with a variety of rites and ceremonies connected with water, fire and plants.

On the evening before Ivan Kupala Day, people look for fern flowers in forested areas. Finding a fern flower is thought to bring prosperity to the lucky finder. On Ivan Kupala Day, children play tricks and have water fights. Swimming on Ivan Kupala Day is also a popular custom. In the evening people light huge bonfires, dance around them and jump over them. In the past, many people thought that on this night evil spirits came out and so people performed different rites to keep the evil spirits away.

I think it’s very important to keep up our traditions as they define who we are and we should be proud of our country and its great culture and history.

Ivan Kupala Day (Advanced Level)

All living things on Earth depend on the energy that comes from the sun. It isn’t surprising then that people have always celebrated the sun.

In Russia, people honour the sun on Midsummer Day, or Ivan Kupala Day. It’s an ancient holiday still celebrated in a lot of countries, including Russia. This huge celebration of the sun takes place every year around the summer solstice, the day the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. It’s a fun holiday filled with a variety of rites and ceremonies connected with water, fire and plants.

On the evening before Ivan Kupala Day, people wander around forested areas looking for fern flowers. People believe that these flowers only bloom for a few moments on the eve of the summer solstice. Finding a fern flower is thought to bring prosperity to the lucky finder.

On Ivan Kupala Day, the fun begins with children playing tricks and having water fights. Swimming on Ivan Kupala Day is also a popular custom. In the evening, people light huge bonfires as part of the celebrations. They dance around them and jump over them. In the past, many people thought that on this night evil spirits came out and so they would stay up all night performing different rites to keep the evil spirits away.

I think it’s very important to keep up our traditions as they are a way of defining who we are and we should be proud of our country and its great culture and history.