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Walpurgis Night: The Witches' Sabbath and Its Traditions
Walpurgis Night falls on the night of April 30 to May 1. Marking the end of winter, it is linked to the witches' sabbath, and many European countries still celebrate it. Where does it come from? How is it celebrated? A closer look at this little-known festival.
Last updated by Madison Carter
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On the night of April 30 to May 1, bonfires blaze from Germany's Harz mountains to the Baltic: this is Walpurgis Night, when winter finally retreats and, legend has it, witches hold their sabbath. Exactly six months from Samhain, it opens the bright half of the year.
An English saint, fires older than she is, a haunted mountain: where does this festival come from, how does Europe still celebrate it, and how can you mark it at home?
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Walpurgis Night: where does it come from?
The festival is named after a real woman. Walpurga was born around 710 in Wessex, England. A Benedictine nun, she joined her brothers Willibald and Wunibald, missionaries in Germany, and became abbess of the monastery of Heidenheim, in Bavaria, where she died on February 25, in 777 or 779.
Why May 1? Around 870, her relics were moved to Eichstätt, and tradition holds that she was canonized on a May 1. Her feast settled on that date, and its eve took her name: Walpurgisnacht, Walpurga's Night.
A saint
Walpurga was invoked against storms, and people prayed to her to protect their homes on that night.
A spring fire
Long before her, May 1 was a fire festival: Gaelic Beltane, when herds were driven between two bonfires.
A victory
A powerful symbol: the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil.
The saint lent her name to a night already full of meaning: back in 1749, Carl Linnaeus described Sweden's April 30 bonfires as an "ancient tradition." It sits between Ostara and the summer solstice.
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Why is it called the witches' sabbath?
The legend has an address: the Brocken, also called the Blocksberg, the highest peak of the Harz, wrapped in fog for much of the year. Witches gathered there on the night of April 30, flying from the Hexentanzplatz, the "witches' dance floor" above the town of Thale, to dance with the devil around the fire.
In the 17th century, Johannes Praetorius pinned the sabbath to the Brocken and to that date. In 1808, Goethe wrote it into literature: in Faust, Part One, Mephistopheles leads Faust into a witches' revel near Schierke.
To keep witches and evil spirits away, people lit fires on the hilltops and made plenty of noise: drive out winter to let the fertile season in. More than twenty towns in the Harz still keep the festival alive, in costume, around huge bonfires.
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How is Walpurgis Night celebrated in Europe?
The witches' night has survived the centuries, and every country has its own customs.
In Germany
In the Harz, people dress up as witches or devils. Elsewhere, they "dance into May," the Tanz in den Mai.
In Sweden
April 30 is Valborg: bonfires and spring songs. In Uppsala, at 3 p.m., students put on their white caps all at once.
In Finland
On the eve of Vappu, at 6 p.m., Helsinki students wash the Havis Amanda statue and crown her with a cap, then toast with sima.
In the Czech Republic
It's pálení čarodějnic, "the burning of the witches": a straw witch goes up in flames on the bonfire.
In France
In eastern Moselle and Alsace, the Hexenacht is a night of pranks: toilet paper in the trees, garden gnomes that vanish.
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How to celebrate Walpurgis Night at home?
Walpurgis Night is a doorway: winter leaves through one side, the bright season comes in through the other. Tradition offers three gestures to cross it.
- Light a fire or a candle. A flame kept burning on the night of April 30 keeps the shadows away. Watch it: a flame has its own messages.
- Burn what belongs to winter. Write down what you're leaving behind and give it to the fire, as in the burning ritual of release.
- Let May in. In Lorraine, people gathered branches that night to decorate their houses: a green sprig on the door calls in fertility.
Pick your candle to match your intention with the meaning of candle colors, and set a sprig of vervain beside it, one of the magical plants of tradition.
👉 Garden fire or candle, never leave a flame unattended.
Walpurgis Night won't make spring happen for you: it offers you a threshold, and it's up to you to choose what you'll let into your home.
Key takeaways 📌
- A fixed date: the night of April 30 to May 1, the eve of Saint Walpurga's feast.
- The Brocken sabbath: legend gathers the witches in the Harz, and Goethe immortalized it in Faust.
- A fire, a threshold: light a flame, burn what belongs to winter, hang a green branch.
Our editors' insight: a night to change seasons
Walpurgis Night invites you to leave behind what weighs on you. If you feel a turning point coming, a spiritual guide can help you choose what you'll let grow.
Contact a spiritual guide✦ ✦
More festivals of the Wheel of the Year
Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia, St. Walburga · Walpurgis Night - Wikipedia
Article presented by
Madison Carter
"Psychic Healer & Angelic Channel for MyAstro ✨ As a psychic healer and angelic channel, I translate loving guidance from the divine into practical wisdom. My work is dedicated to delivering messages from guardian angels that bring clarity, comfort, and deep spiritual healing. Through MyAstro, I aim..."
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