On July 6, hundreds of Ukrainians marked the Ivana Kupala holiday in Pyrohiv outdoor folk museum.
People wore national clothes as they danced and sang. Women made wreaths out of flowers as a symbol of natural feminine beauty. The food court was working for those who wanted to have a picnic and also there were concerts and performances of different collectives and bands. At sundown, people burned a dummy symbolizing a witch and dark powers. After that, people jumped over the fire to get protected from all bad things. While jumping over the fire, couples held hands as a symbol of love and strong marriage.
Ivana Kupala is a pagan or pre-Christian Slavic holiday honoring the summer solstice on July 6. It is widely celebrated in Ukraine.
The Christian Church converted this holiday into John the Baptist Day a long time ago, but it is still celebrated with ancient rituals to gain wealth, health and love – but most of all, to have fun.
