You’ve worn the wreaths, danced the oberek, and maybe even jumped a fire or two — but do you know the full story behind Noc Kupały? From pagan love spells to Saint John's remix, here’s why this solstice celebration still matters to folk lovers everywhere. 🌿💃🔥

Oberek & Co—your monthly guide to modern Polish folk dance & culture—unpacks the Noc Kupały legend of twins Kupalo & Kostroma, kwiat paproci (fern flowers), and fire.

🌿 Zielone Świątki: The Church’s Birthday, but Make It Folk
Before you get dragged to Pentecost mass by your mom or babcia, let’s talk about what’s really going on this time of year.

Sure, the Church calls it the descent of the Holy Spirit—but in villages across Poland and beyond, it’s also a full-on spring festival with bonfires, eggs, flower crowns, and girls crowned as queens. Long before the incense and choir robes, there were branches on doorways, boys in bull masks, and barefoot processions through the fields.

This isn’t the Zielone Świątki they taught you in Sunday school.
This is the folk version—louder, greener, and way more fun.