Kupala Night during the Summer Solsitce: Festival of Fire and Water

Kupala Night by Siomon Kozhin

Summer Solstice festival as we know it: it is linked to paganism and bonfires, and dances. It was celebrated once all over Europe in very similar forms. Slavs, Celts and Germanic people treated it as a sacred time where fire and water meets. Some remnants of the festival I still remember from my childhood and teenage years, but it was more a social event with flower wreaths floating,candle  light, bonfire, and and wild jumping over fire, this was was left from the days of old,  then after all, who doesn't like a good bonfire?  Summer Solstice was renamed as Night of the John the Baptist, as the ritual of bathing in the lake of rivers was so important, in Slavic countries, Greece and Balkans this was very important rite.Name  Kupala was supposed to be derived form old Slavic word for bathing, bu tit might be even come from Proto-Slavic word kup, which meant comming together. I am not so familiar how it was on British Isles and other countries, if this was a more solar and less lunar festival, more bonfires, or immersion in natural waters was also important.

The movie is kind of nicely done, romanticized, in reality this festival of fire, water, purification, love and fertility was wouldn't be so acceptable by today's standards: animal sacrifice was practiced,  etc. The church was trying to eradicate it, as a pagan festival, also certain behavior was considered indecent, people kindled big fonefires also in the cities, etc. and during for ex. XIIIc among Polish peasantry the importance of this festival was diminishing, even as it was practiced. But than during the Renaissance, when the idea that close relation with nature is important, combined with Renaissance in Poland ideas about the  myth of Arcadia, also gave more persmision to this pagan festival, solar in nature. All fire in all houses was put out, people congregated close to water, and ritualistically rekindled a new fire. They also bathed in the lake, or river, it was believed that the water had healing powers.

 Before that day bathing was allowed only during the night. It was a day of purification, all negativity was  believed to be cleansed by bathing, or by jumping over fire. As it was also a festival of love and fertility, a couple who jumped over fire was considered married in old pagan law. Young unmarried women also made wreaths of flowers and were wearing them on their heads, to put them on a piece of wood with  candle in the middle, floated them over the  waters of lakes, or rivers. And young men were bringing them back, if they caught one dancing with the owner of a garland they caught. It was like today's carnival, and crazy things happen during carnivals. In general this was not only one day, an end of day of celebrations.

Magic was in the air, as this was believed to be a special time, so many ideas about what was supposed to be magic or healing, I could bore you if I would list it. Did you hear about the magic flower? It was supposed to be flowering fern,(which never blooms, by the way), one a year this day, only for short time, but the flower was beautiful, radiating light, and the person who picked it was able to find a hidden treasure. Finding the flower wasn't easy, as it was hidden in the depths of the dark forest,(solar mythology again)  but there was a lot of scary forest spirits and dangerous entities who could frighten the candidates for wealth. The problem was not with real danger, but with human capacity to get terribly scarred. Those who had stiff upper lip were more likely to find it, as the legend goes.

Here is  a clip about celebrations in Russia, people were trying to recreate more of old flavor, but don't worry, no animals harmed or even present, some kisses and shows of male prowess (wrestling, in my country was jumping over fire), and lots of fun.

On Monday, finally the story about holy Grail in  Bezlawki. Brother of Lithuanian ruler according to the legend got it from those who escaped Britain after the battle of Hasting, among them were children of Harold Godwinson. It is just a legend, but the fact is that Gytha of Wessex, together with her brothers escaped to Denmark, and she later married the Vladimoir Monomakh
Who was not a Lithuanian Duke, but close. Stay tuned.

Templar Legends in Poland, part 1

 

   The Knights Templars' history can induce flights of imagination, and no wonder: given the rise to power, their wealth and tragic dismiss of this chivalric order in France. From the legends someone can have an impression that not many Templars stayed alive after the imprisonment, torture, and killing of some of the knights in France.

 Templar chant Salve Regina

However, Templars were present in other countries of Europe, and when the order got dissolved; they joined the ranks of the other chivalric orders, as for ex. Johannites, or the Teutonic Knights. After the land ownership was transferred to others, some Templars still were allowed to stay. French king's power didn't reach to other parts of Europe. But the power of the Pope who was pressed by the king did. The puppet pope decided to dissolve the order, and told Templars to change alliances. His word was taken seriously. However, the Vinci Code-style Templar pogroms across all Europe just didn't happen.

When we look closer at some Polish legends, we find a story where a Templar commander was killed by the burghers of a specific town.  There is a stone cross on the place of the alleged murder. I didn’t see the cross, if it is stone it may be so called “penitent cross” put often on a place of crime. Why the people killed the Templar? Most likely abusive conduct of the Templar in question, nothing to do with the events in France. The Knight Templars were crusaders after all, and similar to other crusaders in Poland they not always were treating the locals gently.

 Description in Polish language of someone who is nasty and arrogant as  "haughty like a Templar" may point to not-so-mysterious and holly direction. The knights are the stuff of legends and mystery, but also they took parts in rides against the pagan population. The massacres of civilian populations were seen by the crusaders of any kind as normal behavior towards the non-Christians. Teutonic Knights, the other crusaders in situ, also complained that the pagans in the region were very rebellious and rotten: they didn't want to submit to "proper" power. There were of course uprisings by pagan populations and by the Christians alike. And Templars, like any other crusading orders, got also great latifundia donated to them by the Polish dukes, with local population included.

One legend, written down nicely by Mr. Gralinski, relates to Templars’ memory when they are seen as murderous crusaders. Not painting a pretty picture of the knights. This legend is alive in the village Dankow. Centuries ago Dankow was a city on its own right, but  fires reduced it to today’s simple village with two  beautiful lakes, ruins of the castle fortification,  and decaying remnants of a manor house. Archeologist are conducting digs right now, trying to find what is left from one of the most powerful castle in the Brandenburg March. Also archeologists are diving, looking for ev. remnants of the Medieval pagan fort (Slavic Wends?)  whom the legends also includes. So far there seem to be some parts of armors and weapons on the bottom of the lake.

Click on this sentence to see a picture gallery from Dankow

The legend talks about a great battle between the Knights Templars and the pagans. The pagan warriors lost the battle and were all killed, no prisoners were taken. Only the women and children remained. In addition some material goods and cattle were in the fort, as spoils of war. The pope’s legate was there, among the victorious knights, and the Templar commander Friedrich von Alvensleben (commander in years 1302-1305). Von Alvensleben was initially proposing that the population which was still alive was to be treated relatively gently, in order not to cause hatred toward Christianity, which could lead to future additional uprisings.

 All invaders went to the fortress, and the daughter of the slain chief was now the ruler there. She met the victors, and a group of beautiful young women stood behind her, all festively dressed. The female new chief tried to negotiate with the invaders addressing Friedrich von Alvensleben: "Please, let after the times of tears be times of joy and peace, let be here a better future. As an act of forgiveness, and as a peace offering, let the music play, and come ye knights, and dance with those women." This peace offering was very upsetting to the papal legate. He slurred some nasty insults toward the women accusing them of pagan seduction tricks, and gave a hand signal toward the Templars, ordering them to kill off all women and children. The massacre started, and amidst the horrible screams of the victims the daughter of the pagan chieftain cursed the knights and the legate, and high water rose from the lake and swallowed all which was left from the fort, and all the women and children, and all cattle. Since then every year during the evening of the Summer Solstice  from the lake appears a group of young and beautiful women, dressed festively, and they sing  trying to lure any young men do dance.