July was the warmest month of the year, at this time thunderstorms were most common, which is reflected in one of the names – the storm, and it was also the time of picking berries, vegetables and harvesting in the fields, so July was sometimes called the stradnik.
Agrafena Bathing House
Before the feast of Ivan Kupala, there was another day dedicated to ablution – Agrafena Kupalnitsa Day, celebrated on July 6 (according to the new style). The roots of this holiday go back to the cult of Kupava (Kupalnitsa), the goddess of rivers, reservoirs, the Queen of the Night and the patroness of passionate love. She could only meet her husband, the fire god Semargl, once a year. Therefore, on this day and the following night, the youth were allowed a lot of things that were usually forbidden – open hugs, kisses, games.
On the day of Agrafena Bathing, it was customary to steam in the sauna and knit bath brooms. Another tradition was dousing. Young men, wearing worse clothes and taking buckets, went to the river to collect murkier and dirtier water, or even from a puddle. When they returned to the village, they hunted passersby and there was no mercy for anyone. The girls kept up with the boys. As a result, smeared and dirty, they all went to the river in droves to swim.
Ivan Kupala
According to legend, Kupala and Kostroma are brother and sister, the children of Semargla and Kupalnitsa. They were separated in childhood, and then met and fell in love with each other, unaware of their relationship. When they found out the truth, Kostroma threw herself into the water, and Kostroma into the bonfire. Over time, Kupala and Kostroma acquired the features of patron deities of love and fertility, and rituals dedicated to them involved obligatory jumping over a campfire and cleansing ablution in the river. In the Orthodox tradition, the cult of Kupala merged with the image of John the Baptist, and the holiday became known as Ivan Kupala, which according to the old calendar fell on June 24, which now corresponds to July 7.
In addition to wide festivities, it was customary to collect various medicinal herbs that acquired miraculous powers that night. They also collected plants that were needed for potions and fortune-telling. For example, Ivan da Mary (by the way, the Old Slavonic name of this flower is kupala da mavka, in memory of Kupala and Kostroma, which the gods turned into a flower with yellow and purple inflorescences after their death). Many were looking for the legendary fern flower, which braved evil spirits, gave its owner the ability to understand bird and animal language, as well as find treasures. In the Middle East, including UAE and Saudi Arabia, bonuses may vary between 100% up to $120 and 150% up to $130 depending on ongoing campaigns. Promotions in these regions are often time-limited. By using a
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