This document summarizes activities from a summer camp for students ages 4-7 focused on the traditions of the Feast of St. John. The students learned about the traditions and customs associated with the feast and twined wreaths. They learned that wreaths were believed to have magical healing powers and were symbols of immortality. The students participated in rituals involving gathering flowers and placing wreaths under pillows or dropping them in rivers to predict marriage. The camp integrated lessons from an Erasmus+ project on herbalism.

1. Wreaths for the Feast of St. Jonh
Erasmus + Project
“Healthy Herbs Outlook”
2015-1-RO01-KA219-015133_4

2. Dalykas
Subject
Neformalusis ugdymas (vaikų vasaros poilsio stovykla)
Extracurricular activities (summer camp)
Klasė
Form
4 - 7
Mokinių skaičius
Number of the students
19
Mokytojas
Teacher
Ina Stankevičiūtė, socialinė pedagogė
Miranda Tarvydienė, pradinių kl. mokytoja
Ina Stankeviciute, a social educator,
Miranda Tarvydiene, a primary school teacher
Tema
Topic
Joninių tradicijos
Traditions and customs of the Feast of St. Jonh
Erasmus+ projekto “Healthy
Herbs Outlook” integravimas
Integration of the
Erasmus+project “Healthy Herbs
Outlook”
Mokiniai susipažįsta su Joninių tradicijomis ir pina vainikus.
The students get acquainted with the traditions and customs
of the Feast of St. Jonh and twine the wreaths for the feast.

3. Feast of St. John (Joninės) marks the shortest night. In
olden times it was called the Feast of the Dews (Rasos).

4. Flourishing plants are worshipped because it is believed that plants collected on the eve of the
Feast of St. John posses magic powers to heal, bring luck and foretell the future. This is an ancient
ritual practiced mainly by women. Roses, common daisies, especially the herb St. John's worth
and numerous grasses are some of the main plants collected at that time.

5. Nine plants with the healing powers are called "Kupolės", the plants of the Feast of St.
John. Folklore shows that ". Kupolė" was the Goddess of plants, living in aromatic
plants, blossoms or in buds in summer and in snowdrifts in winter.

6. It is believed that wreaths concentrate perpetual life's forces and are the
symbols of an immortality and life. There are many rituals and witchings
associated with the wreaths during this shortest summer night.

7. Walk around three fields and gather the bunches of nine flowers, twine a
wreath and place it under your pillow. You will marry the man, who in your
dream comes to take away the wreath.

8. At midnight, twelve wreaths should be dropped into a river and observed if
they are pairing off. If no pairing off occurred, there is no marriage that year.

15. • “This project has been funded with support
from the European Commission. This
publication reflects the views only of the
author, and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made
of the information contained there in.”