In parts of Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Russia, an ancient pagan summer rite called Kupala combined with the traditional Orthodox feast of Saint John the Baptist, becoming Ivan Kupala Night, a festival celebrating the summer solstice. On Ivan Kupala Night, young people wear wreaths symbolizing purity, people sing and dance around bonfires, and they bathe naked in rivers and lakes. Many gather up their courage and leap over fires as a test of faith, to purge themselves of their sins and bad luck, and to improve their health. Collected here, a handful of images from Ivan Kupala Night celebrations in recent years.

1. A woman stands in front of a bonfire during the celebrations of Ivan Kupala Night in the Pyrogove village near Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2017
Sergei Supinsky / AFP / Getty
2. A man jumps over a fire during a celebration on the traditional Ivan Kupala (Ivan the Bather) holiday in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2018
Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters
3. Women dressed in traditional clothing gather flowers as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in the countryside near the village of Kulneva, Belarus, on June 22, 2014
Sergey Balay / AFP / Getty
4. A girl sings during the Kupala festival in the town of Rakov, Belarus, on June 24, 2017
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
5. Belarusian people walk in a procession as they take part in the Ivan Kupala festival in Rakov, Belarus, on June 24, 2017
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
6. During Kupala Night, near the town of Oktyabrsky, Belarus, people dance in a circle around a bonfire on June 21, 2014
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
7. Two girls don traditional wreaths near a bonfire during Ivan Kupala Night celebrations, outside the small town of Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2016
Sergei Gapon / AFP / Getty
8. Belarusian girls float wreaths with candles as part of Kupala Night in Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2017
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
9. Boys shoot flaming arrows during celebrations for Ivan Kupala in Turov, Belarus, early on July 7, 2010
Viktor Drachev / AFP / Getty
10. People celebrate the Slavic pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala outside Novokuznetsk, Russia, on July 6, 2011
Yaroslav Belyaev / AP
11. People wearing traditional Belarusian clothes dance around a bonfire as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in the countryside near Minsk, Belarus, on June 24, 2017
Maxim Malinovsky / AFP / Getty
12. People bathe in Vyacha Lake during Ivan Kupala Day in Mochany Village, Belarus, on July 7, 2006
Viktor Drachev / AFP / Getty
13. People attend a celebration during the Kupala festival in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2016
Gleb Garanich / Reuters
14. Belarusian people take part in the Ivan Kupala festival at the State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle near the village of Aziarco, Belarus, on July 7, 2018
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
15. Belarusian girls wearing homemade grass skirts and headdresses swim in a river on Kupala Night in Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2012
Viktor Drachev / AFP / Getty
16. Women make wreaths during a celebration on the Kupala holiday in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2017
Gleb Garanich / Reuters
17. A woman throws a wreath of flowers as part of Ivan Kupala celebrations in the countryside near Minsk, Belarus, on June 19, 2016
Sergey Balay / Maxim Malinovsky / AFP / Getty
18. Belarusian girls place candle offerings in a river as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in Turov, Belarus, late on July 6, 2013
Victor Drachev / AFP / Getty
19. People walk in a field to take part in the Kupala festival in the town of Rakov, Belarus, on June 24, 2017
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
20. Belarusian youths enjoy their food during a late-night picnic at the Ivan Kupala festival near the village of Dubniaki, Belarus, on June 23, 2005
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
21. A woman jumps over a fire during Kupala festivities in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2018
Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters
22. A Belarusian couple celebrates Ivan Kupala Night in Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2013
Victor Drachev / AFP / Getty
23. People dance around a bonfire as they celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in the village of Novaya Zhizn, Belarus, on June 24, 2017
Sergei Gapon / AFP / Getty
24. People dance during the Kupala festival near the town of Rakov, Belarus, on June 22, 2013
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
25. Ukrainians jump over a fire during Ivan Kupala Night in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 6, 2016
Vitaliy Holovin / Corbis via Getty
26. The supreme priest of Russian neo-pagans beats his drum while his followers dance around the bonfire celebrating the summer solstice in Maloyaroslavets, Russia, on June 21, 2009. The festivities of Ivan Kupala reflect pre–Christian Slavic traditions and practices.
Sergey Ponomarev / AP
27. A man jumps over a fire during the traditional Ivan Kupala holiday near Omsk, Russia, on July 9, 2015
Dmitry Feoktistov / Reuters
28. A woman smiles as she wears a wreath during the Ivan Kupala festival in the town of Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2012
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters