This post is dedicated to my motherland Belarus, its legends, customs and great people.
Watercolor painting of floral wreaths dedicated to my motherland, Belarus and their women. In the worldview of the ancient Belarusian, the wreath was a solar symbol. The form of the wreath has a magical meaning: it was perceived as a fusion of perfection and unity in the image of a circle, a ring. According to the ideas of our ancestors, the wreath symbolized the eternal return of plant life, the fruiting of the earth, the feminine principle, the secret of life and the secret of death. The belief of all Slavs in the magical power of the wreath has found its expression in the variety of its types: wedding, ritual, calendar, funeral and others. They were used in almost all the important parts of life: in wedding and funeral rituals, for the birth of a child, on Christmas time, Kupala, the Trinity – as amulets, or lucky charms, from all troubles.
The wreath has just moved away from the shore, overgrown with faintly green, wilting grass – this is the beginning of a possibly long journey, but a start has been made and ahead is a bright reflection of the sun with a better, brighter future.
Floral wreaths on water
At the height of the summer, Belarus celebrates Kupalye – one of the oldest folk holidays dedicated to the sun and the flourishing of the earth. Many European nations have holidays in honor of the summer solstice: Jan’s Day in Bulgaria, Saint Jan in Hungary, San Juan in Spain, Ligo in Latvia … Among the Eastern Slavs, this is Ivan Kupala, but perhaps only in Belarus have the traditions of Kupalya got fully preserved. Kupalya is celebrated on a grand scale.
Cornflower in the wreath is the symbol of beauty and life.
Ivan Kupala, or Kupala night, is a traditional pagan holiday celebrated by the Eastern Slavs. On the night before Ivan Kupala, various rituals are traditionally held: people weave flower wreaths, read fortunes, jump over bonfires and burn a wheel-shaped scarecrow symbolizing the sun. The tradition of weaving wreaths has come from antiquity, when women wondered about the future
Bon voyage! Until the next travel:) Stay healthy.
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