Kupala Night (John the bather day) is the feast day of John the Baptist in some Central and East European countries, held near the summer solstice. It is equivalent of Valentine’s Day and the festival is being celebrated celebrated on the Summer solstice in June. Some neo-pagans believe that it was a sacred holy day honoring the two most important elements: Fire and Water.

The tradition is to burn fires at the end of the day and bathe in open waters at sunset, singing and dancing around ‘pal’ till midnight. At midnight, under the pretext of searching for “the flower of the Fern,” unmarried men and women run into the forest. Ladies with a crown of flowers on their head , a symbol of their unmarried state, go first, singing. Next they are followed by single men. If you find the “flower of the Fern” the wishes of life may be fulfilled. However, nobody found it so far, but they lived happily together. The lucky man would return with a flower ring on his head, with the now engaged lady.