Svatojánský věnec (Midsummer headwreathe)
I am spreading my Midsummer festivities from Corpus Christi (which fell the day before the summer solstice this year) through Midsummer Day/the Feast of St. John the Baptist (Kupala). Tonight I made the first of two věnce—this one to be left at the creek as an offering to Morana.
Czech midsummer věnce are most usually made with nine herbs, though the number can vary from region to region. I plan on using nine since that is the most common, plus the number nine shows up symbolically in other Czech traditions such as the nine strands in a vanočka (braided Christmas bread), and nine course Štědrovečerní večeře (Christmas eve) dinner, and Morana’s nine brothers in folk song.
“The nine St. John's herbs are suitable not only for a wreath, but also for your green pharmacy, from which you can draw all year round.”
“The herbs are definitely not to be thrown away and will come in handy all year round. Herbal mixtures made from the nine flowers are used for digestion, relaxation, and even for colds.”
Tomorrow’s wreathe will be saved for medicinal and magical uses.
I used muscadine as the base, sunflowers to represent the sun, sheep sorrel for medicinal benefits as well as personal connection, shiso, mimosa, blackberry, burnmouth vine, pepperweed, and American beautyberry. All have medicinal uses, topically and/or ingested.
“Water, dear water, as you run through rocks and roots, run through me and cleanse me of all evil so I might be wonderful as spring, beautiful like the fair zorza, full like autumn and rich like earth itself” —from @slavicafire ‘s wonderful post about Kupala Night.
I was excited to read @lesorciercanadien ‘s post about Midsummer Night and learning about the herbs my québécois ancestors would have gathered during this time. Unfortunately, none of those particular ones were in the area that I forage, but it was nice to think I was honoring their traditions as well just by gathering.
















