What is Walpurgis Night?
Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht in German) is a spring festival held every year from the night of April 30 into May 1 in Germany, the Nordic countries and elsewhere in central and northern Europe. The name comes from Saint Walpurga, a nun who went from England to Germany in the 8th century to spread Christianity. Because the day she was declared a saint was May 1, the night before came to be called by her name.
The night witches gather
Legend says that on Walpurgis Night, witches fly through the sky on broomsticks or goats and gather on the summit of the Brocken, the highest peak of the Harz region in central Germany, to hold a feast (sabbath) with the devil. To protect themselves from witches and evil spirits, people lit great bonfires, rang bells and made loud noises. It is thought to have originally been an old European spring festival held at the boundary between the end of winter and the start of summer, to drive away evil and pray for a good harvest.
The witches’ feast in Faust
In his masterpiece Faust, the German literary giant Goethe depicted a scene in which the hero Faust is taken by the devil Mephistopheles to join the Walpurgis Night feast on the Brocken. This work made the image of an eerie night when witches gather widely known. The Brocken is also famous as the origin of the name “Brocken spectre,” in which one’s shadow appears greatly enlarged on mist.
Walpurgis Night today
Even today, in Germany’s Harz region, festivals are held in which people dressed as witches dance around bonfires, drawing many tourists. In Sweden and Finland, too, it is loved as a bonfire festival celebrating the arrival of spring. Along with autumn’s Halloween, it is a seasonal event associated with witches and spirits. It is also known as a subject of anime and manga.
