July 8, 2010
Source: Kyiv Post
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/guide/general/detail/72737/
It’s amazing that a pagan holiday can survive more than 1,000 years of Christianity almost intact.
This is exactly the case with Ivana Kupala, the Ukrainian holiday celebrated after the summer solstice, usually on the night of July 6.
The name Kupala refers to the god of fruits of the earth. His holiday is considered to be one of the most magical ones in the Ukrainian calendar. Fortune-telling, jumping over cleansing fires and other mystical rituals have traditionally been part of it.