As the day begins in late June, people collect flowers and herbs from meadows and riverbanks, fashioning them into wreaths. They craft effigies out of willow and straw of the ancient deities Kupalo and Mara, setting the stage for a nighttime ritual that honors the elemental forces of fire and water. As evening falls, a great bonfire is lit near the riverbank. Pairs or small groups leap over its flames with clasped hands. The effigies are ceremonially burned or drowned, and candle-lit wreaths are set to float down the river. The night culminates in the search for the mythical fern flower as pai…