Incidentally, while on the topic of Saint John’s Eve we can finally resolve the “mystery” of the etymological origin of Kupala. Why, in Ruthenia, is there an “Ivan Kupala” while in Western Suav countries there is Saint John’s Eve festivities? Well, Ivan is simply John so that takes care of itself. But what Kupala? The answer, as is often the case, is in Frazer. Though he did not know he was solving a mystery, in fact he did just that when he described a custom practiced in Prussia whereby “the farmers used to send out their servants, especially their maids, to gather Saint John’s wort on Midsummer’s Day (Saint John’s Day).”
The bundle gathered was called the, note this, Kupole. Of course, this is completely understandable by any Suavic speaker. The servants were sent ku pole that is “to the fields” and that is precisely what the mysterious Kupala means. The various folks who were heading out “into the fields” for Saint John’s Day festivities were heading out for a Kupala. Note that Kolberg observes the dances around fires took place at an ugór that is an unused field. Thus, Kupala has nothing to do with “taking a bath” (that is kąpiel) or with water but rather is simply a shortening of the exact description of the activity in which these folks engaged in – heading towards the fields (so as to dance around fires).
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