Ivana Kupala, 7 July 2008

A good Kupala night to everyone marking it.

Of all the days in the calendar this is the one that has held its shape most stubbornly. It carries a saint's name and almost nothing else about it is Christian. Fire, water, herbs gathered at a particular hour, wreaths floated to see where they go, jumping a flame in pairs — none of that came from a church and none of it left when churches arrived.

I do not think it survived by resisting anything. I think it survived because it is genuinely enjoyable, held in the warmest week of the year, and mostly run by people under twenty-five who were never asked to defend it in writing.

A good night to you, and dry clothes afterwards for those who need them.