Several hundred people gathered at Kyiv’s outdoor folk museum Pyrohiv to celebrate the pagan holiday of Ivana Kupala on July 6.
The origins of the holiday go back a millennium and involve rituals celebrating the summer solstice, when the days are at their longest in the northern hemisphere. Ivana Kupala was originally celebrated on June 23, the shortest night of the year, according to the ancient Julian calendar. In the modern calendar, that date is July 6.
This year’s celebration included music performances by folk bands, making traditional flower wreaths and jumping over a bonfire. In pagan times, it was believed that if a couple fails to keep holding hands while jumping over the fire together, they will separate.
