In the old days, maidens would use special
charms and bend over a well, unclothed, in order
to see their future husband's reflection. In
another ongoing tradition, an unmarried woman
collects seven different flowers and places them
under her pillow to dream of the man she’d marry.
In my native country, Romania, the midsummer
celebrations are named Drăgaica or Sînziene.
Drăgaica is celebrated by a dance performed by a
group of young girls, and one of them is chosen as
the Drăgaica. She is dressed as a bride, with a
wheat wreath, while the other girls, also clad in
white, wear a veil with bedstraw flowers.
Midsummer fairs are held in many Romanian
villages and communities.
There are lots of superstitions related to this day,
particularly those involving marriage or death.
The term Sînziene originates in the Latin "Sancta
Diana", a goddess of fertility and nature, and
customs of midsummer are mainly romantic in
nature, involving young girls and their wedding
prospects.
In Russia, many rites of this holiday relate to
water, fertility, and self-purification. The girls, for
example, would float their flower garlands on the
water of rivers and tell their fortunes from their
movement. Lads and girls jump over the flames of
bonfires. Nude bathing is likewise practiced. Also,
in Saint Petersburg the White Nights Festival that
takes place from late May to early July, is also
predominantly connected with water.
This is an annual summer celebration when the
sun sets very late and rises early, leading to a
period of long twilight. It's a time of various
cultural events, carnivals, and fireworks, with a
magical and mystical atmosphere, when the city
is vibrant and bustling with activity throughout
the night, and even museums are open.
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