Midsummer’s Night celebration in Poland

Poland still shares some traditions with its Slavic and Scandinavian brothers which seem to have some roots in old pagan traditions. The best example of that is probably Kupała Night (Noc Kupały) which is celebrated on the shortest night of the year, generally the night of June 21/22. The night is dedicated to the elements of fire and water, the moon, the sun, love and fertility while the occasion is also a day for perspective lovers to celebrate.While the origins of the name are unclear it is thought to have come from either the Russian word to ‘bathe’, the Slavic goddess of fertility Kupala, or possibly the Indo-European word kump meaning group or community.