Published: 2025-06-17

The The Ivan Kupala Festival in Contemporary Russian-Language Social Media Discourse

Marta Noińska Logo ORCID

Website: https://repozytorium.bg.ug.edu.pl/info/author/UOG080e6fecd7a2422da72e283d080e52e5/Marta%2BNoi%25C5%2584ska+title?lang=pl

Abstract

The article focuses on the Ivan Kupala Festival within the Russian-language social media discourse based on publications on YouTube and TikTok. The study encompasses entertainment-oriented posts showcasing festive celebrations, secular informational content, and publications from Orthodox organizations and neopagans, which contribute to the religious discourse. Three main portrayals of the festival are evident: as a joyful bonfire-centered celebration, as a significant date in neopagan religious practices, and as a pagan tradition contrasted with Christian commemorations of John the Baptist’s birth. An interesting feature is the combination of superstitions with Christian prayers in some content. The most popular posts are short-form videos on TikTok and YouTube Shorts, emphasizing visual appeal with spectacular bonfires and Slavic women in flower crowns. The study also highlights the algorithm-driven segmentation of social media, where users tend to engage with ideologically similar content.

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Noińska, M. (2025). The The Ivan Kupala Festival in Contemporary Russian-Language Social Media Discourse. Przegląd Rusycystyczny [Russian Studies Review], (2 (190). https://doi.org/10.31261/pr.18212

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No. 2 (190) (2025)
Published: 2025-06-17


ISSN: 0137-298X
Ikona DOI 10.31261/pr

Publisher
Polskie Towarzystwo Rusycystyczne oraz Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego

Licence CC Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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