Information about Walpurgis Night

Walpurgis Night is a holiday celebrated on April 30 or May 1, in large parts of Central and Northern Europe.^[1]

Origins

The festival is named after Saint Walpurga, born in Wessex in 710. She was a niece of Saint Boniface and, according to legend, a daughter to the Saxon prince St. Richard. Together with her brothers she travelled to Franconia, Germany, where she became a nun and lived in the convent of Heidenheim, which was founded by her brother Willibald. Walburga died on 25 February 779 and that day still carries her name in the Traditional Catholic Calendar. Her relics were transferred on 1 May, and that day carries her name in, for example, the Finnish and Swedish calendar.

Historically the Walpurgisnacht is derived from Pagan spring customs, where the arrival of spring was celebrated with bonfires at night. Viking fertility celebrations took place around February 25 and due to Walburga being declared a saint at that time of year, her name became associated with the celebrations. Walburga was honored in the same way that Vikings had celebrated spring and as they spread throughout Europe, the two dates became mixed together and created the Walpurgis Night celebration. The main mascot of Walpurgis Day is the witch.

Germany

In Germany, Walpurgisnacht (or Hexennacht, meaning Witches' Night), the night from April 30 to May 1, is the night when allegedly the witches hold a large celebration on the Blocksberg and await the arrival of Spring.

Walpurgis Night (in German folklore) the night of April 30 (May Day's eve), when witches meet on the Brocken mountain and hold revels with their gods..."

Brocken is the highest of the Harz Mountains of north central Germany. It is noted for the phenomenon of the Brocken spectre and for witches' revels which reputedly took place there on Walpurgis night.

The Brocken Spectre is a magnified shadow of an observer, typically surrounded by rainbow-like bands, thrown onto a bank of cloud in high mountain areas when the sun is low. The phenomenon was first reported on the Brocken.

—Taken from Oxford Phrase & Fable.

A scene in Goethe's Faust Part One is called "Walpurgisnacht", and one in Faust Part Two is called "Classical Walpurgisnacht".

In some parts of northern coastal regions of Germany, the custom of lighting huge Beltane fires is still kept alive, to celebrate the coming of May, while most parts of Germany have a derived Christianized custom around Easter called "Easter fires".

In rural parts of southern Germany it is part of popular youth culture play pranks on Walburgisnacht, e.g. tampering with neighbors' gardens, hiding possessions, or spraying graffiti on private property. These pranks occasionally result in serious damage to property or bodily injury.

Curiously Adolf Hitler, with several members of his staff (including Joseph Goebbels), committed suicide on Walpurgisnacht, April 30/May 1, 1945. In the History Channel's documentary, Hitler and the Occult, author Dusty Sklar stated that "It's believed by some people that he chose April 30th deliberately because it coincided with Walpurgis Night, which is believed to be the most important date in Satanism. So according to one commentator he was giving himself up to the powers of darkness."^[2]

Sweden

Walpurgis (sw: Valborgsmässoafton or Valborg) is one of the main holidays during the year in Sweden alongside Christmas and Midsummer holiday in Sweden. The forms of celebration in Sweden vary in different parts of the country and between different cities. One of the main traditions in Sweden is to light large bonfires, a custom which is most firmly established in Svealand, and which began in Uppland during the 18th century. An older tradition from Southern Sweden was for the younger people to collect greenery and branches from the woods at twilight, which were used to adorn the houses of the village. The expected reward for this task is to be paid in eggs.

The tradition which is most widespread throughout the country is probably singing songs of spring. Most of the songs are from the 19th century and were spread by students' spring festivities. The strongest and most traditional spring festivities are also found in the old university cities, like Uppsala and Lund where both current and graduated students gather at events that take up most of the day from early morning to late night on April 30, or "siste April" ("The last day of April") as it is called in Lund and elsewhere throughout the country. There are also newer student traditions like the carnival parade, The Cortège, which has been held since 1909 by the students at Chalmers in Gothenburg.

Finland

Today in Finland, Walpurgis Night (Vapunaatto) is, along with New Year's Eve and Juhannus, the biggest carnival-style festivity that takes place in the streets of Finland's towns and cities. The celebration is typically centered on plentiful use of sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages. The student traditions are also one of the main characteristics of "Vappu". From the end of the 19th century, "Fin de Siècle", and onwards, this traditional upper class feast has been co-opted by students attending university, already having received their student cap. Many people who have graduated from lukio wear the cap. One tradition is drinking sima, whose alcohol content varies. Fixtures include the capping of the Havis Amanda, a nude female statue in Helsinki, and the biannually alternating publications of ribald matter called Äpy and Julkku. Both are sophomoric; but while Julkku is a standard magazine, Äpy is always a gimmick. Classic forms have included an Äpy printed on toilet paper and a bedsheet. Often the magazine has been stuffed inside standard industrial packages such as sardine-cans and milk cartons. The festivities also include a picnic on May 1st, which is sometimes prepared in a lavish manner.

The Finnish tradition is also a shadowing of the Soviet Era May Day parade. Starting with the parties of the left, the whole of the Finnish political scene has nominated Vappu as the day to go out on stumps and agitate. This does not only include right-wing parties, but also others like the church have followed suit, marching and making speeches. In Sweden it is only the labour and socialist parties which use May 1 for political activities, while others observe the traditional festivities. The labourers who were active in the 1970s still party on the first of May. They arrange carnivals and the radio plays their old songs that workers liked to listen to. The labour spirit lies most in the capital of Finland, Helsinki.

The First of May is also a day for everything fun and crazy: children and families gather in market places to celebrate the first day of the spring and the coming summer. There are balloons and joy, people drink their first beers outside, there are clowns and masks and a lot of fun. The first of May includes colourful streamers, funny and silly things and sun. The first of May means the beginning of the spring for many people in Finland. There is also an erotic frisson involved with Vappus ribald side. The only semi-humorous adage is that who doesn't have a paramour on Vappu, will have to make do without one also on midsummer night.

Traditionally May 1st is celebrated by a picnic in a park (Kaivopuisto or Kaisaniemi in the case of Helsinki). For most, the picnic is enjoyed with friends on a blanket with good food and sparkling wine. Some people, however, arrange extremely lavish picnics with pavilions, white table cloths, silver candelabras, classical music and lavish food. The picnic usually starts early in the morning, and some hard-core party goers continue the celebrations of the previous evening without sleeping in between. Some Student organisations have traditional areas where they camp every year and they usually send someone to reserve the spot early on. As with other Vappu traditions, the picnic includes student caps, sima, streamers and balloons.

Estonia

In Estonia, Volbriöö is celebrated on the night from April 30 to May 1, with the following day (May 1) being not so important, rather than just a public holiday called "Spring Day" (Kevadpüha). Yet Volbriöö itself has a considerable importance as one of the main reasons to party across the country. Influenced by the German culture, the night originally stood for gathering and meeting of witches. Nowadays some people still dress up as witches and wander the streets in a carnival-like mood.

Yet for most Estonians, Volbriöö has become a reason to celebrate the arrival of Spring with huge outdoors drinking and partying throughout the night. This is especially strongly honoured in Tartu, the university town in Southern Estonia. For Estonian students in Student Corporations, the night starts with a traditional march on the streets of Tartu, followed by visiting of each others' corporation houses all night, drinking lots of beer as they stay with the hosts and move along the streets from one place to the other. The following day (May 1) is known as Kaatripäev (Hangover Day, with its meaning coming from 'Kater' standing for 'Hangover' in German).

References in modern culture

• The closing sequence of Fantasia (1940) is intended to portray Walpurgisnacht and not Halloween, as is popularly supposed.
• The second act of Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is entitled "Walpurgisnacht."
• The Bram Stoker short story Dracula's Guest takes place on Walpurgisnacht: "Walpurgis Night was when, according to the belief of millions of people, the devil was abroad – when the graves were opened and the dead came forth and walked. When all evil things of earth and air and water held revel."
• In the 1931 film Dracula, a Romanian peasant describes the night on which the film begins as Walpurgis Night.
• In the H.P. Lovecraft story The Dreams In the Witch House Walpurgis Night is referred to as "the Witchs' Sabbath", when hell's blackest evil roamed the earth and all the slaves of Satan gathered for nameless rites and deeds.
• The last chapter of book 5 of Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain is named "Walpurgis Night."
• Anton Szandor LaVey chose Walpurgis Night in 1966 to found the Church of Satan.
• Gustav Meyrink wrote a novel called Walpurgis Night in 1917, about a carnivalesque popular uprising in Prague against the city's longtime Germanic monarchs.
• In Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, a key character observes Walpurgisnacht celebrations in 17th century Germany.
• The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson makes repeated references to Walpurgisnacht.
• Mall Purchase Night by Rick Cook pokes fun at Walpurgis Night. The phrase on the back of the first edition is, "Walpurgis Night was nothing to this"
• The hentai anime series Bible Black contains references to Walpurgis Night important to the plot.
• The English novelist and journalist Angela Carter makes reference to Walpurgisnacht in a short story entitled The Werewolf from the compilation of short stories The Bloody Chamber.
• The Legends of the Dark Knight story arc "Gothic" is subtitled "Walpurgisnacht".
• In the second half of Roger Zelazny's The Chronicles of Amber series, Walpurgisnacht is the day on which yearly attempts are made on Merlin's (Son of Corwin) life, by the son of Brand.
• The Campus Loop, a nationally syndicated TV show from the University of Texas at Austin's student television channel, KVR-TV, had a set of episodes entitled "The Maltese Pumpkin" that were set on Walpurgis Night.
• In the popular children's books Mr Majeika by English author Humphrey Carpenter, the Mr Majeika, a wizard, originally comes from the land of Walpergis, where all witches and wizards reside. Those who fail their exams, like Mr Majeika, are sent to Britland (England) to be teachers.
• In Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita (Мастер и Маргарита), Satan hosts a Grand Ball on Walpurgis Night.
• The last major work of the Viennese satirist Karl Kraus was an anti-Nazi polemic titled Die dritte Walpurgisnacht ("The Third Walpurgis Night").
• Songs whose titles include or make reference to Walpurgis Night include:
• "Angel Rebellion", By the German Power Metal band EDGUY (taken from Kingdom Of Madness)
• "Walpurga's Night", by the Italian Vampire/Black Metal band Theatres Des Vampires
• "Repent Walpurgis", by the English progressive rock band Procol Harum.
• "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath was originally titled "Walpurgis" (and while the music was the same, the lyrics were entirely different).
• "Wall Purges Night", an obvious pun on Walpurgisnacht, by the expatriate English musical group the Legendary Pink Dots.
• "Walpurgisnacht", by Schandmaul.
• "Walpurgis Night", by Running Wild (band).
• "Walpurgis Night",an album by Stormwitch.
• "Walpurgis Night Music", Matt Cameron's publishing name while in Soundgarden
• "Under The Spell"' by Mercyful Fate (about a man who by accident witnesses the walpurgis night rituals and is caught by them and placed under a spell)
• The album They Were Wrong, So We Drowned by the rock group Liars (band), is a concept album based on the legends of Walpurgis Night
• "Born in A Burial Gown" by Cradle of Filth. The video also suggests a Walpurgis celebration.
• "Walpurgis Night", by Fates Warning from the album titled "Night On Brocken".
• "Walpurgis" is a rare 1969 prog psych record by the Swiss group Shiver. The cover features early art by H.R.Giger.
• A German group named "Walpurgis" released a Krautrock album called "Queen of Sheba" in 1972.
• Walpurgis Night falls halfway between last year's Halloween and the current year's Halloween.
• In JK Rowling's famous Harry Potter series, the group of Dark Wizards called Death Eaters were originally named the Knights of Walpurgis, an obvious pun on Walpurgis Night or Walpurgisnacht.
• In Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies, Walpugisnacht is the controversial painting by Jonathan Waxman of an interracial couple fornicating in a cemetery.
• In XXXenophile Collection Volume 4, the last story has a book entitled "It's Walpurgis Night Charlie Brown".
• The television show Lexx had an episode called "Walpurgis Night" that originally aired on 24 August 2001.
• Thomas Pynchon's novel, Gravity's Rainbow, has several scenes set during Walpurgis Night 1945, and also makes references to such matters as the Brocken Spectre.
• In the Mahou Sensei Negima manga series, Evangeline McDowell (who also happens to be a vampire) is shown wearing a bathing suit with the text "Walpurgis Night" written across the front.
• In the 1986 fantasy/horror movie Troll, a witch named Eunice St Claire (June Lockhart) describes to Harry Potter Jr. (Noah Hathaway), that Walpurgis Night is a witches' sabbath, where the "denizens of the unknown cavort(party hearty)".
• Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn composed a dramatic choral oratorio, Die Erste Walpurgisnacht, in 1831, based on the Goethe poem.
• Walpurgis Night is the name of a book seen in the Wild Arms video game series.
• There is a Living Dead Doll named Walpurgis, a German exclusive.

See also

• Holidays in Sweden
• Flag days in Sweden
• Faust
• Faust (opera)
• Mefistofele
• Beltane
• Halloween (which falls six months to the day either before or after Walpurgis Night)

Notes

References

External links

• Walpurgisnacht Events Guide
• Day of the Witches - Czech Republic