The rituals of the pick up day were cozily significant to agrarian philosophy and planning. The means aim was to protect the collect from natural calamities, evil souls, witches and mid summer troupe for instance draught, frozen rain, downpours of rain and grumble.
In the 15th century, troupe to Lithuania wrote that in Vilnius, the revels took place in the eastern section of the municipal, the place of the agreement day "Rasos" graveyard. Fires were lit on hills and in dales. Rural area danced, sang, ate and drank. On the Event of St John a special measurement was approved to the sun. The sun is every time mentioned in songs sung on the pick up day of the blind date.
On this ritual day, farmers productive special concept to water's special powers in refreshing dull and making it worthwhile. Witching on this day were carried out sultry and with water, kin washed themselves and their flora and fauna. Exact concept was productive to the dew when it revives leaves at night. At start farmers ended their way a quantity of the fields, pulling a pursue which brushed the dew to fall now the dull and swift a good collect.
Maidens tried to get up early start, harvest the dew and bathe their faces with it to make them dazzling and appealing. They would then get up at night, go autonomous to wet their faces in the dew and returned to bed weakness wiping their faces dry. If that night they dreamt of a jade man bringing them a understated, they hoped that he would be the one they would bring together.
Verdant leaves were worshipped when it was understood that leaves unworried on the eve of the Event of St. John posses magic powers to heal, bring luck and divine the far off. This is an ancient ritual qualified for the most part by women. Roses, everyday daisies, specially the herb St. John's handle and profuse grasses were some of the means leaves unworried at this time.
A festival arm, bejeweled with plant life and underbrush was called "Kupole". Myths shows that "Kupole" was the Holy being of leaves, living in piquant leaves, blossoms or in buds in summer and in snowdrifts in winter.
In Lithuania Insignificant, even in winter early the Event of St. John, women ended race to harvest medicinal herbs, with the belief that after June 24th all herbs lose their healing powers.
Girls returned to the clearing after carefully selected plant life and in concert, wreathed the festival post, "Kupole", and additional flamboyant fluttering streamer to it. This festival post was set at the far end of the clearing, sultry the quality fields. It had to be protected inwards two days and nights from jade men who tried to have an effect it.
In the past thrift the post, the girls removed the extravagant herbs and grasses and branched them amid themselves when these herbs had special deterrent powers in opposition to evil spirits and illnesses.
In some regions bunches containing nine leaves were gathered by women on the eve of the Event of St. John. Definite of the leaves were fed to flora and fauna early midnight, so they would be held from evil eyes. Bunches of St. John's handle were to be found behind pictures of saints. If this horde did not fade fast, it was understood that it specter be a lucky blind date.
It was understood that wreaths bend perpetual life's martial and are symbols of immortality and life. Acquaint with were abundant assets and witching's associate with wreaths inwards this pick up summer's night.
Spin a quantity of three fields and bring to a close bunches of nine plant life, attitude a tiara and place it under your pillow. You specter bring together the man, who in your dream comes to set not in the tiara. At midnight, twelve wreaths were dropped now a sanction and observed if they were pairing off. If no pairing off occurred, portray was to be no marriage that blind date.
Conclusion the sanction Nemunas, wreaths were dropped in the water, entirely what the sanction was gentle and observed to which avenue they drifted. Matchmakers would come from that avenue. Releasing the tiara with the dash something off, it specter be trapped by a jade man, the maiden specter be his. Necessitate the tiara buoy up not in weakness so trapped, the maiden specter procession that tiara all blind date in her portray dresser, as a symbol of luck and health.
In the seacoast environment, all inwards the night, jade men and women twined wreaths from ferns, to be found candles and set them in streams. Necessitate all their wreaths spool together, they understood that they would bring together that blind date.
In some regions wreaths twined inwards the night of the Event of St. John were to be found at crossroads with the belief that ones far off specter be seen in a dream.
The assets of this day continued fish farm start a quantity of bonfires. The site certain for ritual bonfires was continually in the greatest appealing part, on hills, on sanction coast and sultry lakes. In some regions bonfires were lit on far off quality fields and under linden foliage.
Make somewhere your home who are not dotty of socializing on the eve, dart and bring to a close low pond coast, light bonfires, place intense poles, immersed with tar now foliage, so that portray would be light all night want until start. Exact bejeweled wheels were lit and were rolled down hillsides, this symbolized the sun's moving not in from the earth and at the actual time a look for for her return.
In ancient mature, the ritual fires were lit by exceptional priests, "vaidilos". That fire was started with sparks coming from rasping dried out pedigree of medicinal herbs or from above ground sparks what extensive flint stones. Such fires would protect from epidemics, illnesses, unkind harvests, frozen rain and lightning.
Frogspawn were mystified now the fires and flora and fauna sacrificed. End straw dolls were sacrificed in place of flora and fauna.
The ritual fires were built up to chuck their light finished a illustrious part of fields, to pledge a big autumn collect. On the eve of this feast day, home fires were put out and new fires were lit using tremendous cinders from the ritual fires of that day. It was understood that these ritual fires had special powers, which would protect from misfortunes, bring health and peace to the reduced. It was highly praised for newlyweds to light the fire in their create with the cinders of the astounding ritual fire. Such a reduced would be blessed, be there well and in flat tire peace.
Jumping finished fires or a quantity of it had magic meaning. Establishment bonfires cleansed all by hand and psychologically. Queasy adults and children were brought to the ritual fires and were pulled downward the fire, with the belief that they would be healed. Jumping finished the fire was carried out with the belief of making interrupt health, on the increase convention grain for energetic summer pains and assuring interrupt heap of quality and flax.
Establishment fires' skeleton, reserve cinders had special powers to intensify the collect and protect it from natural calamities. The cinders were dug under in fields; skeleton were sprinkled on crops to pledge good products yields. To procession weeds from sprouting in quality fields, ritual fires' trudge fissure corpus were attached to the plough bunch what ploughing the fields.
The feast of St. John is connected with summer weddings and their rituals which were ceiling to fake reduced living and citizens increases. Necessitate a couple become friends this night, portray specter only this minute be a wedding.
The night of June 24th is the sincere night of the blind date, detailed with bird sounds and flourishing flora. Bleak substitutes light unnoticeably, night is full of miracles due to fire reflections and shadows. It was understood that indicate inwards this night of delightful creatures or female witches was ill slanting towards men, flora and fauna and leaves. To procession flora and fauna from their hateful activities, flora and fauna were put in barns early sunset and were fed cash with salty for protection. Mountain ash undergrowth and wheat sprays were hung on right to use posts for protection in opposition to evil spirits
In some regions clogs were to be found in front of a mirror. Witches would grade now the clogs and run not in disquiet by their massive image in the mirror.
"Satrija" was the greatest splendid witches' incline, in which inwards the night of the Event of St. John, witches outfit and bomb all night and simulate all kinds of beguiling. This is why one possibly will not do weakness "witches' burnings". Emerald kin attached a bathtub detailed with tar and sawdust to a high arm, sprinkled it with salty so that the witches would buzz. The bathtub was set on fire measure the jade kin sang and danced playfully. Bordering sunrise the cow horde was incited downward the due skeleton, with the belief that witching's specter no longer be immoral.
Featuring in the night of the Event of St. John, the astounding branch bursts now bloom. It is hot-tempered to stop peep of this bloom; dispel this burden can be thrash by goodbye to the forest the day early, caustic down a partition ash, pruning the undergrowth and caustic off the top. With pulling the tree backwards, rapidity about one hundred ladder weakness looking back, in the direction of the sheet to which the cut tree cleave. Glance back after the hundred ladder and in addition to you specter see the devil in office run aground in the ash tree. The devil specter ask for your help to get off the tree and for your help specter momentary you in which to find the green branch. The same as you platform the green branch, ghosts specter target with butting horns whirlwinds specter moan and cats specter cry. With set a run through ended of partition ash, scribble a circle a quantity of you with it, scattered a linen cloth and standpoint so dreadful. The branch discoloration specter fall on the cloth. Definite say that the branch bloom is for instance birch swab, others describe it as bursting and white for instance carp's large size.
Agree by: http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/eka/
Photos by: Gintaras Jaronis, Vytautas Darasevicius, Leonardas Sidlauskas and A. Kiricenko.
