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Description
Noc Kupaly celebration in the Warsaw Old Town, Poland

Noc Kupały is Slavic holiday that is connected with fire and water. It is also about love, fertility, sun and moon.

These awful Christians were trying to make it disappear. When they failed they tried to turn it into the John the Baptist Day. It resulted in this day having two names and dates so people don't really know when it is. Still some people take advantage of it and party twice.

During this day (or rather night) girls put garlands on the water with a candle in it and boys try to catch it from the water. This way the young people could avoid being matched by the elderly. It was the only night to do such a trick and everyone had to agree with the pair's choice.
Also people jump over the fires and do some other crazy stuff during that night.

These days we have great fireworks shows - like the one on the photo. You can see here fireworks over the Vistula River and the view of the Warsaw Old Town.

You can read more about that night on wikipedia: [link] but unfortunatelly the English version is much simpler and shorter and have some inaccuracy in the text. The Polish one is way more informative: [link]

journals on this subject: [link] and [link]

Description
Noc Kupaly celebration in the Warsaw Old Town, Poland

Noc Kupały is Slavic holiday that is connected with fire and water. It is also about love, fertility, sun and moon.

These awful Christians were trying to make it disappear. When they failed they tried to turn it into the John the Baptist Day. It resulted in this day having two names and dates so people don't really know when it is. Still some people take advantage of it and party twice.

During this day (or rather night) girls put garlands on the water with a candle in it and boys try to catch it from the water. This way the young people could avoid being matched by the elderly. It was the only night to do such a trick and everyone had to agree with the pair's choice.
Also people jump over the fires and do some other crazy stuff during that night.

These days we have great fireworks shows - like the one on the photo. You can see here fireworks over the Vistula River and the view of the Warsaw Old Town.

You can read more about that night on wikipedia: [link] but unfortunatelly the English version is much simpler and shorter and have some inaccuracy in the text. The Polish one is way more informative: [link]

journals on this subject: [link] and [link]