Kupala Night

Yes, you have certainly heard about this event. If not, shame on you, because it’s a basic knowlegde about Slavic culture. Let’s start from general informations:

When? Night of 23-24 June

Where? In almost each big city in Poland, also in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia

Why? To celebrate the summer solstice when nights are the shortest. It’s a holiday of fire and water, sun, moon and fertility

How does it look like in Poznan?

Midsummer Night's Dream

First of all, it’s really colourful! On the Warta there is always a colorful procession of boats which lights up the banks of the river and attracts inhabitants of the city and tourists from all over the world. It includes a number of Slavic rituals accompagned with pyrotechnic shows and dance with fire.  As a rule, there are also some concerts in order to make a friendly and convivial atmosphere.

Hovewer, nothing attract people more than the small lights of Chinese lanterns over the river. Unfortunately, since 2014 we can’t no more appeciate this light performance because of the decision of Poznan city council which considers it too dangereous.

Frankly speaking, only a certain percentage of Poznan’s inhabitants really knows the meaning of Kupala Night in polish culture. In most cases, it has nothing in common with symbols of fertility, because nowadays, Kupala Night symbolizes rather happiness and love, especially for the young people.