Microblog

for the year 2024

What is a Micro-Blog?

A short blog that is just some stuff I found interesting but not enough for a full blown blogpost. Topics can differ ;)

30.04.2024 - Walpurgisnacht

Today in Germany is “Walpurgisnacht”. I always find that day somehow fascinating, because its history is quite interesting.

L. S. Bestehorn, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Witches meeting at the Brocken mountain

Here is, in short, the history I could gather:

In the olden - pre-christian - days, the night of 30th of April into the 1st of May was the festival of the may eve, celebrating the beginning of summer [3]. During this festival, often times fires would be lit in the night to ward of evil spirits.

Later, during Christian time, it became a day of celebration for Saint Walpurga, an Anglo-Saxon missionary that lived from around 710 until 770. From 748 onwards she would be on mission in the region that is today Germany and would later become abess to a monastery there [4].

Traditionally, Walpurga was called upon to ward of witchcraft. This tradition might originate in the fact, that Walpurga was quite sucessfull in converting the local population to Christianity and was also otherwise known for successfully healing illnesses like cough and others [2]. Dependend on the region in Germany, this day is celebrated with the mentioned bonfires.

In some regions (for example the “Harz” region), another legend is still celebrated: folklore says that at this night witches from all around would meet and celebrate their bond with the devil. They would collect at the “Brocken” or “Blocksberg”[1] - the highest mountain in the Harz area - or the close by “Hexentanzplatz”[5] - an old saxon cult site in the mountains.

I always notice that day, because here in Saxony there are a lot of “Hexenfeuer” at this day celebrating the beginning of summer.

Sources and further reading

[1] Brocken Mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocken;

[2] Saint Walpurga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Walpurga;

[3] Walpurgis Night https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night;

[4] heilige Walpurga - Microsoft Encarta 2001;

[5] Hexentanzplatz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexentanzplatz_(Harz)