Walpurgis Night or Spring Festival
Walpurgis Night, celebrated on April 30, is a spring festival with roots in Scandinavian culture and is particularly observed by those of Scandinavian descent in areas like the United States. Named after St. Walpurgis, an English missionary and abbess, the festival has evolved from its pagan origins, which marked the transition to summer. Its celebration retains many traditional elements, including the lighting of bonfires, singing spring songs, and giving speeches that honor the arrival of spring. Historically, these fires were believed to ward off witches, who, according to folklore, gathered on this night to meet on a high mountain, with the Brocken in Germany being the most famous location. In contemporary times, Walpurgis Night is joyously celebrated in various Scandinavian and European countries, reflecting a blend of historical reverence and festive community spirit. The festival not only signifies the changing of seasons but also highlights the rich tapestry of cultural traditions associated with springtime celebrations.
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Walpurgis Night or Spring Festival
Walpurgis Night or Spring Festival
The spring festival known as Walpurgis Night takes place on April 30, the eve of one of the feast days of St. Walpurgis. It is a Scandinavian festival that is observed by many Scandinavian American organizations, especially in areas that have a large population of Scandinavian descent.
Walpurgis Night, often simply called “spring festival,” takes its name from St. Walpurgis (or Walpurga, Walburga, or Valborg), an English missionary and abbess in Germany who died about 780. It is not known why the festival, which has come down through Nordic and Teutonic tradition, was named for her, but the observance took the place of a pagan festival that had earlier marked the beginning of summer. The occasion is popularly celebrated in some Scandinavian and European countries in modern times. In Sweden, for example, people build fires, sing traditional spring songs, and make speeches welcoming the spring.
In the long history of superstitions connected with Walpurgis Night, the customary fires have had the purpose of frightening away witches who, according to popular lore, ride broomsticks, he-goats, and other conveyances to an appointed rendezvous on this date. The meeting is said to take place on a high mountain. Traditionally the site preferred is the Brocken, the tallest peak of Germany's Harz Mountains, and scene of the witches' sabbath in Goethe's Faust.
Farrant, Theo. "Walpurgis Night: The Pagan Festival of Bonfires, Witches and Celtic Folk Music." EuroNews, 2 May 2022, www.euronews.com/culture/2022/05/02/walpurgis-night-the-pagan-festival-of-bonfires-witches-and-celtic-folk-music. Accessed 1 May 2024.
"Walpurgis Night Falls on 30 April. That's When Sweden Greets Spring with Songs and Bonfires." Swedish Institute, 29 Apr. 2024, sweden.se/culture/celebrations/walpurgis-night. Accessed 1 May 2024.