Jumping bonfires - An Ivan Kupala giveaway
/Today is Russian Midsummer, or Ivan Kupala. On this pagan holiday sublimated by the Orthodox Church into the feast of John the Baptist, young people jump over bonfires, play tricks with water, and float candles in flower garlands with their wishes for the coming year. And if they're lucky, they may find the elusive flower of the fern. (Belphagor would tell you it's a euphemism for getting laid, but he's jaded. Don't listen to him.)
In honor of Ivan Kupala, I'm giving away a $10 gift certificate to B&N or Amazon, along with the flower of the fern itself. That's right, at midnight last night, Tvorila Night, I was traipsing through the woods and I found the flower of the fern, which I'm offering to you.
Okay, so I may have slightly exaggerated the part about the woods. It's actually an original art necklace from Gray's Crafts Etsy store, made of polymer clay, aventurine, jasper, premium Japanese seed beads, and copper wire. According to the Etsy store:
In Slavic mythology, fern flower is a magic flower which only blooms for a very short time on the eve of the Summer Solstice. To the one who finds it, fern flower gives the gift of clairvoyance, ability to understand animal speech, and to see all hidden treasures, no matter how deep they were hidden. The flower is believed to be guarded by the hordes of evil spirits, and those seeking it can pay with their lives for the attempt to take the flower.
And all you have to do to win it is enter via the Rafflecopter below and tweet about the giveaway once per day until the giveaway ends on July 11, 2012. The winner of the FOTF (flower of the fern) will be announced next Wednesday on my cover reveal for The Midnight Court, where you'll have another chance to win (not the FOTF; there can be only one). No nechysta syla (evil spirits) to worry about. Plus, this piece should help protect against any nechysta syla or rogue Seraphim who might be skulking about.
And now an Ivan Kupala treat for you:
