Ivan Kupala Day in Novgorod region of Russia. Ivan Kupala Day (John the Baptist Day) is celebrated in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine currently on 7 July in the Gregorian or New Style calendar, which is 24 June in the Julian or Old Style calendar still used by many of the Orthodox Churches. The holiday is still enthusiastically celebrated by Russian youth. The night preceding the holiday (Tvorila night) is considered the night for mischiefs (which is a great concern for law enforcement agencies). Many of the rites related to this holiday within Slavic religious beliefs, due to the ancient Kupala rites, are connected with the role of water in fertility and ritual purification. Youths would jump over the flames of bonfires. Girls would float wreaths of flowers often lit with candles on rivers and would attempt to gain foresight into their relationship fortunes from the flow patterns of the flowers on the river. Men may attempt to capture the wreaths, in the hope of capturing the interest of the woman who floated the wreath.