Walpurgisnacht—Witchs’ Night
The literal definition of the word ‘Walpurgisnacht’ is the following: the eve of May Day (Beltane) on which witches are to ride to an arranged gathering : walpurgis night.
Walpurgisnacht and Samhain, six months later, both have origins in pagan celebrations that represent the changing of the seasons. These days are particularly important because they are when the veil between the spirit world and our world is at its thinnest. Walpurgisnacht is a time to communicate with the spirit world and the fae. Bonfires are normally lit to keep away malicious spirits or those who might cause us harm.
The festival is named for Walpurga, a Christian saint, who spent many years as a missionary in the Frankish empire. Townsfolk would come together on April 30th, the eve before Beltane, to protect themselves from witches. To keep away “evil spirits,” they would make loud noises, light massive bonfires and burn straw men and old belongings for good luck. After some time, the celebration of St. Walpurga morphed with the Viking celebrations, and Walpurgisnacht was born. What was originally a celebration of spring became a distressed endeavor to protect oneself from the ‘wicked’.
Some of these activities are still active today in modern-day celebrations of Walpurgisnacht in Germany as an antecedent to Beltane. Even though it is named for a crucified saint, many Germanic Pagans try to honor the celebrations of their ancestors by observing this traditional holiday every year. They currently celebrate this holiday by dressing up in costumes, hanging blessed sprigs of foliage from houses, and leaving offerings of Ankenschnitt (bread with butter and honey) for phantom hounds. (Fun fact: the sprig of foliage were originally hung by pagans as offerings to deities.)
In some areas of Europe, Walpurgisnacht is known as a night when witches gather together to conjure magic, although this tradition appears to be immensely influenced by 16th and 17th German writings.
Rather than something to be feared, Walpurgisnacht had became a lighthearted celebration. The old tradition of lighting fires to rid evil spirits has transformed into new ceremonies such as the renowned Tanz in den Mai (dance into May) — an enormous bonfire, occasionally containing a wooden “witch”, and is lit on the evening of April 30th.
When the flames died down the corn jump occurs. This is where lovers jump over the fire together, and the celebration continues with an abundance of food and beer.
Resources
Wigington, P. (2017, March 18). The festival of Walpurgisnacht, April 30th. Learn Religions. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.learnreligions.com/walpurgisnacht-german-spring-holiday-2561662
Tarot, T. A. (n.d.). Walpurgisnacht - Witchs' Night - TeriAnne's Cauldron of Readings, Magick & Mayhem. TeriAnne's Cauldron of Readings Magick Mayhem. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from https://www.teriannetarot.com/walpurgisnacht-witchs-night/
