Chervona Ruta
Encyclopedia
Ivan Kupala Day
Kupala Day is celebrated in Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine currently on the night of 6/7 July in the Gregorian or New Style calendar, which is 23/24 June in the Julian or Old Style calendar still used by many Orthodox Churches. Calendar-wise, it is opposite to the winter solstice holiday...
. According to the legend, still respected in Carpathian mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
and Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
, rue is a yellow flower which turns red only for a couple of minutes on the night of Ivan Kupala. The girls who will find the flower will be happy in love.
Legend
Ivan Kupala Day
Kupala Day is celebrated in Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine currently on the night of 6/7 July in the Gregorian or New Style calendar, which is 23/24 June in the Julian or Old Style calendar still used by many Orthodox Churches. Calendar-wise, it is opposite to the winter solstice holiday...
, the flower turns red for a very short time on the eve of the Summer solstice
Summer solstice
The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
(celebrated on June 23 or sometimes July 7).
The flower brings fortune to the person who finds it. In various versions of the tale, the fern flower brings luck, wealth, or the ability to understand animal speech. However, the flower is closely guarded by evil spirits and anyone who finds the flower will have access to earthly riches
Christian views on poverty and wealth
Since the inception of Christianity, there have been a variety of Christian attitudes towards materialism and wealth. John Cobb, Jr. argues that the "economism that rules the West and through it much of the East" is directly opposed to traditional Christian doctrine. Cobb invokes the teaching of...
, which have never benefited anyone, so the decision to pick the flower or leave it alone is left up to the individual.
Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru known as Sofia Rotaru is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop singer of Romanian/Moldavian heritage....
has a song with the same name. in one of her interviews, she explained the etymology of the term in following words: "Ruta is a yellow flower, which becomes red on the night of the Ivan Kupala Day
Ivan Kupala Day
Kupala Day is celebrated in Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine currently on the night of 6/7 July in the Gregorian or New Style calendar, which is 23/24 June in the Julian or Old Style calendar still used by many Orthodox Churches. Calendar-wise, it is opposite to the winter solstice holiday...
".
Etymology
"Chervonyi" - is an old Slavonic word. The transformation of the meaning of the adjective "krasnyi" (red) has an interesting history. The proverbs "An izba is red judging by its corners", "A debt is red by its payment", "Red girl" mean "red", "good" as to beautify from the Slavic word "krasa" - beauty. In such a way, when the Kievan Rus' was also called Krasnaya Rus', they meant that it was "beautiful" Rus'. For the color notation proper, the Slavic languages used the word "chervonyi". In Russian language, one can still see the link in the word "chervontsy" (bank notes worth of 10 roubles of red colour). A big number of linguists consider that namely through the use in the financial field, the initial sense of the term was somewhat alterated. Hence, "Chervona Ruta" does not need a translation. One can eventually russify "Chervonaya Ruta", which remains solely theoretical.Scientific explication
- RueRueRue is a genus of strongly scented evergreen subshrubs 20–60 cm tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, Macaronesia and southwest Asia. There are perhaps 8 to 40 species in the genus...
— is a name for the plant from the Rutaceae family. There are about 60 known types of rutas, wildly growing in the Mediterranean regions, Western and Middle AsiaMiddle AsiaMiddle Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west, to Mongolia in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north. The geographical term has appeared sometime prior to the 20th century in the Russian Empire and was closely associated with the Russian Turkestan and the...
. One type of rue grows on the territory of the former USSR - Common RueCommon RueThe Common Rue , also known as Herb-of-Grace, is a species of rue grown as a herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula, southeastern Europe. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, especially because of its bluish leaves, and also sometimes for its tolerance of hot and dry soil...
, a sweet-scented Herb-of-grace which grows in CrimeaCrimeaCrimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, on the rocky slopes. Common Rue (Ruta graveolens L.) — is the most common type, a subshrub, naked, greyish green suffrutex plant, up to 40 cm in height. Its leaves are pinnately dissected an it has a corymb inflorescence in the form of panicle.
- According to a different opinion, Chervona Ruta means Golden and/or Yellow RhododendronRhododendronRhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
.