The priest spoke about the church's attitude to Kupala rituals and fortune-telling

The Russian Orthodox Church has a negative attitude towards the traditions of the feast of Ivan Kupala, considering them remnants of paganism, and fortune-telling and magical practices are spiritually incompatible with Christianity. The dean of the Baltai district of the Saratov diocese, Priest Oleg Zhilyakov, told Izvestia about this.

"The feast of Ivan Kupala has ancient pre-Christian roots and is associated with pagan rituals and rituals. The Russian Orthodox Church treats these traditions negatively, considering them to be remnants of pagan cults and spiritually incompatible with the Christian faith," the priest said.

The clergyman stressed that attempts to look into the future through signs, dreams or magical actions contradict the foundations of Orthodox dogma and cannot be justified under any circumstances.

"In the church's understanding, any attempts at fortune-telling, invoking magic, omens, or dreams as a way to know the future contradict the biblical teaching of God's providence and are unacceptable to believers. Instead of participating in such rites, Orthodox Christians are advised to attend a divine service in honor of the Nativity of John the Baptist on the night of July 7 or on Ivan Kupala Day itself," the priest added.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Ivan Kupala – 2026: how this mysterious holiday was actually celebrated in Russia