People jump over the flames of a bonfire during a ritual test of bravery and faith. This holiday symbolizes the birth of the summer sun � Kupalo. The history of the Christian Church can answer us how the pagan deity Kupalo gets the name of Ivan. In the IV century AD, this day was proclaimed the holiday of the birth of John the Baptist - the forerunner of Jesus Christ. As a result of the Christianization of the pagan feast the name "Kupala" got connected with the Christian "Ivan". On the territory of Ukraine for many centuries Kupala customs changed, there were always local differences, and they were not everywhere equally preserved - the majority were saved in Polissia as one of the archaic zones of the Slavic world. The celebration includes a number of Slavic rituals, herb collecting, bonfire lighting, and bathing in the river. (Photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)