In parts of Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Russia, an ancient pagan summer rite called Kupala combined with the traditional Orthodox feast of Saint John the Baptist, becoming Ivan Kupala Night, a festival celebrating the summer solstice. On Ivan Kupala Night, young people wear wreaths symbolizing purity, people sing and dance around bonfires, and they bathe naked in rivers and lakes. Many gather up their courage and leap over fires as a test of faith, to purge themselves of their sins and bad luck, and to improve their health. Collected here, a handful of images from Ivan Kupala Night celebrations in recent years.
Images From Ivan Kupala Night
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Read moreA woman stands in front of a bonfire during the celebrations of Ivan Kupala Night in the Pyrogove village near Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2017 #
Sergei Supinsky / AFP / Getty -
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Read moreA man jumps over a fire during a celebration on the traditional Ivan Kupala (Ivan the Bather) holiday in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2018 #
Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters -
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Read moreWomen dressed in traditional clothing gather flowers as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in the countryside near the village of Kulneva, Belarus, on June 22, 2014 #
Sergey Balay / AFP / Getty -
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Read moreA girl sings during the Kupala festival in the town of Rakov, Belarus, on June 24, 2017 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters -
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Read moreBelarusian people walk in a procession as they take part in the Ivan Kupala festival in Rakov, Belarus, on June 24, 2017 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters -
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Read moreDuring Kupala Night, near the town of Oktyabrsky, Belarus, people dance in a circle around a bonfire on June 21, 2014 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters -
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Read moreTwo girls don traditional wreaths near a bonfire during Ivan Kupala Night celebrations, outside the small town of Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2016 #
Sergei Gapon / AFP / Getty -
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Read moreBelarusian girls float wreaths with candles as part of Kupala Night in Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2017 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters -
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Read moreBoys shoot flaming arrows during celebrations for Ivan Kupala in Turov, Belarus, early on July 7, 2010 #
Viktor Drachev / AFP / Getty -
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Read morePeople celebrate the Slavic pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala outside Novokuznetsk, Russia, on July 6, 2011 #
Yaroslav Belyaev / AP -
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Read morePeople wearing traditional Belarusian clothes dance around a bonfire as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in the countryside near Minsk, Belarus, on June 24, 2017 #
Maxim Malinovsky / AFP / Getty -
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Read morePeople bathe in Vyacha Lake during Ivan Kupala Day in Mochany Village, Belarus, on July 7, 2006 #
Viktor Drachev / AFP / Getty -
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Read morePeople attend a celebration during the Kupala festival in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2016 #
Gleb Garanich / Reuters -
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Read moreBelarusian people take part in the Ivan Kupala festival at the State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle near the village of Aziarco, Belarus, on July 7, 2018 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters -
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Read moreBelarusian girls wearing homemade grass skirts and headdresses swim in a river on Kupala Night in Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2012 #
Viktor Drachev / AFP / Getty -
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Read moreWomen make wreaths during a celebration on the Kupala holiday in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2017 #
Gleb Garanich / Reuters -
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Read moreA woman throws a wreath of flowers as part of Ivan Kupala celebrations in the countryside near Minsk, Belarus, on June 19, 2016 #
Sergey Balay / Maxim Malinovsky / AFP / Getty -
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Read moreBelarusian girls place candle offerings in a river as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in Turov, Belarus, late on July 6, 2013 #
Victor Drachev / AFP / Getty -
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Read morePeople walk in a field to take part in the Kupala festival in the town of Rakov, Belarus, on June 24, 2017 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters -
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Read moreBelarusian youths enjoy their food during a late-night picnic at the Ivan Kupala festival near the village of Dubniaki, Belarus, on June 23, 2005 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters -
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Read moreA woman jumps over a fire during Kupala festivities in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2018 #
Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters -
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Read moreA Belarusian couple celebrates Ivan Kupala Night in Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2013 #
Victor Drachev / AFP / Getty -
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Read morePeople dance around a bonfire as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in the village of Novaya Zhizn, Belarus, on June 24, 2017 #
Sergei Gapon / AFP / Getty -
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Read morePeople dance during the Kupala festival near the town of Rakov, Belarus, on June 22, 2013 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters -
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Read moreUkrainians jump over a fire during Ivan Kupala Night in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2016 #
Vitaliy Holovin / Corbis via Getty -
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Read moreThe supreme priest of Russian neo-pagans beats his drum while his followers dance around the bonfire celebrating the summer solstice in Maloyaroslavets, Russia, on June 21, 2009. The festivities of Ivan Kupala reflect pre–Christian Slavic traditions and practices. #
Sergey Ponomarev / AP -
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Read moreA man jumps over a fire during the traditional Ivan Kupala holiday near Omsk, Russia, on July 9, 2015 #
Dmitry Feoktistov / Reuters -
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Read moreA woman smiles as she wears a wreath during the Ivan Kupala festival in the town of Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2012 #
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
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