Slavic-Rituals

Jumping over the bonfire
Kupala Night is a holiday associated with the period of the summer solstice. It is celebrated on the night of July 7th. During this time, according to legends, many magical plants are growing; therefore, Ukrainians believe that whoever finds a blooming fern in the forest will be rich and happy for the rest of their life. Girls throw wreaths in the water, and whoever’s wreath travels the fastest will get married soon. Another important ritual is burning bonfires. The belief is that these fires have healing powers; you will be cleansed from sins and cured of illnesses.

Forest Rusałka
Though similar to the water being described here, this being inhabits the woods rather than lake shores and riverbanks. But, much like its aquatic counterpart, it takes the form of a fair young woman. Sc****ly clad and wearing a flower wreath, the forest Rusałka uses her looks and singing to lure young men into the wilderness – where she takes their life by leading them of a cliff or by… tickling them to death.

In some regions, stories were told that only the front of the daemon was beautiful, while its back was an open cadaver with its bowels visible. The Rusałka was said to avoid wormwood, so carrying a little with you through the forest was a way of protecting yourself

Strzyga
An undead being, imagined as a rotting co**se with red fingernails, the Strzyga preys on the living, drinking their blood and devouring their flesh. In many a folk tale, the deadly Strzyga is an enchanted princess buried in a church crypt – who returns to life in the form of a beautiful girl thanks to religious rituals, such as drawing symbols with sanctified chalk and saying prayers.

But any woman, regardless of social status, could become a Strzyga. Some were even believed to be doomed to it – for example, those born with two rows of teeth. A person attacked by the daemon would often die or at least feel very weakened as a result. The being’s fierceness is probably what prompted Andrzej Sapkowski to choose it as the main nemesis in his very first story about Geralt of Rivia, the 1986 The Witcher.

Kupalnocka, or the Slavic Valentine’s Day
It was believed that the second of these elements also possessed healing powers at this time. The three-month period of refraining from bathing (the ban concerned dipping the body in rivers, lakes and streams during the day) was officially ended and the ritual washing during Kupała Night cast away disease and evil spells. Girls used to make wreaths from flowers and herbs, which they then cast into the river. If the ones fished out by boys found their original owner, the two would become a couple. More was permitted than usual on this night, which often led to sexual initiation – and hence the talk of a Slavic Valentine’s Day.
According to legend, ferns only blossomed on Kupała Night. Someone lucky enough to find one would become rich, and was also thought to become capable of becoming invisible in case of danger. Camomile and flowers were also used to tell fortunes, and even dill stalks (maidens would mark them with coloured thread and given them the names of their favourite boys – the stalk that grew the tallest overnight would be proof of the most passion).
This holiday was so strongly rooted in the Slavic tradition that the Church authorities decided to make the pagan ritual a part of the Christian calendar – Kupała Night is now known as St. John’s Night and it takes place on 24th June.

The historic dożynki harvest festivals
The first day of autumn is the Święto Plonów harvest holiday, for which preparations started as early as August. After the harvest was finished, a couple of uncut stalks were left in the field. They were known as the beard (broda) and were left so that the soil would not be entirely deprived of grain. A part of the crops was also stored in a shrine. A few days before the main celebrations a glass of honey liquor – a sacred Slavic drink which underwent fermentation much like wine – was placed in front of a statue of Świętowit, the god of war and fertility. If some of the drink disappeared, it was taken as a bad oracle, but a glass left full to the brim was thought to foretell a bountiful harvest.

The historic dożynki harvest festivals
The Gods were thanked for the harvest during this holiday, with prayers for better gatherings the following year. Huge wreaths were made and special cakes called kołacz were baked for the occasion. Traditionally, a priest placed the magnificent kołacz between himself and the people, asking if he could be seen from behind it. If he was able to hide, it was surely a sign of prosperity. The folk tradition of the harvest holiday withstood the test of time in the form of the dożynki holiday which is still celebrated today, usually on one of the Sundays in September, after all the crops have been gathered.

The promise of spring
All of the family members would take part in preparations for the arrival of spring. Rooms were cleaned and aired out, women baked cakes, men lit fires on hilltops, boys and girls brought in branches covered with catkins out which were gathered in special bunches – an equivalent to the later Easter 'palm' sticks.
These were an indispensable part of the ritual to cast evil out of people – family and friends would strike each other with them. Water also had purifying qualities, so people also poured it abundantly on each other. The two customs that were initially separate ones gradually joined together and this is how śmigus dyngus came to be, a tradition known and celebrated to this day.