The religious scholar named the main mistakes in understanding the meaning of Kupala rituals

The key meaning of Kupala rituals on Ivan Kupala is connected with the ideas of purification, renewal and restoration of human connection with the natural world, and not with love. Religious scholar Nikita Pavlov told Izvestia about this.

"The erotic component, love-themed songs and imitation of marital relations really occupied a significant place, but this was only one of the components. The whole set of Kupala action blocks is subordinated to a common, much more archaic idea — universal purification and renewal," he noted.

According to the expert, in this context, water and fire acted as sacred mediators through which a person sought to "restore broken ties with the natural world, purify himself from diseases and fears — "magical defilement."

The most mysterious summer holiday is Ivan Kupala: when in 2025, the main Russian rituals, events

The night of Ivan Kupala is considered the most magical of the year

According to his assessment, the ritual actions were strictly structured and subordinated to symbolic logic, and the temporary violation of social norms during the sacred period was considered as a way of influencing the forces of fertility and maintaining the natural cycle.

Earlier, a religious scholar told Izvestia about the main consequences of the Baptism of Rus.