Walpurgisnacht, the Walpurgis Night.

The eve of May Day is one of the most important Sabbats for a witch (along with Samhain and our own birthday). As at October 31st, the veil that separates our plan and the spirit world gets thinner, leaving open a glimpse; at this time of the year it is easier for us to communicate with Spirits and the Gods.

This festivity has a Celtic origin: according to the ancient druids, on this night it was celebrated spring at its height, the triumph of light over darkness, the beginning of Bealtuinn (Beltane), that became "May Day" in the medieval peasant tradition.

The night between the 30th April and the 1st May is also called "Walpurgis Night" in the name of the abbess Walpurgis, sanctified on this day, when she was buried in the year 871.
The Day of St Walpurgis then, is nothing more than a replacement to alter the name of the original pagan festival, the festival of Beltane, which was a blasphemous feast to the Catholic Church.
Ironically, under the sarcophagus of Abbess it was found a kind of bituminous oil, which was considered a sacred ointment by the locals, able to ward off the evil eye. Even today, many people make pilgrimages to collect this oil and Walpurgis became the patron saint of witches and witchcraft.

The Walpurgis Night, Walpurgisnacht in German, is still celebrated with big bonfires, singing and dancing in many countries of Central and Northern Europe.
In Germany, on this night, the witches left their dens to go to celebrate the Sabbat on Mount Brocken, the highest peak of the Hartz mountains.
Goethe described the Brocken in his Faust as the fulcrum of the witches' sabbats.

Goethe was probably inspired by two rock formations on top of the mountain, the Teufelskanzel (Devil's Pulpit) and Hexenaltar (Altar of the Witches).

It's a very heartfelt celebration in Sweden and Germany, where it is tradition to play tricks in disguise, making noise with cowbells and yelling, because it was believed it could ward off evil spirits. Many people hang wreaths composed by leaves and colored ribbons to keep negativity away from home, and leave bread smeared with butter as an offer to passing spirits.
In Finland, this festival is called Vappu - a kind of carnival, celebrated all night. Often it lasts until the next day when the festive spirit is carried on within the family. The origins of this festival are based on ancient pagan traditions and rituals for fertility that took place on this day.

As Samhain celebrates the "death" in a time when the whole of nature falls asleep, during Beltane we celebrate life and rebirth. It's the time of year when the Horned God and Goddess are sexually united, bringing love and fertility on Earth.
In Europe, whole villages were celebrating Beltane hiding in the woods practicing free sex. Children conceived during these encounters were considered sons of the Gods.

Medieval witches, during this night, were riding their brooms greased with hallucinogenic ointments that made them believe they were flying. As well as the Maypole, the broom is the phallic symbol par excellence.

Fertility and healing are the main themes of this festival; a traditional element of Beltane is a big bonfire, in which sacred and healing herbs are burned, couples who want to make a bright future should skip this holy fire holding hands together.

A tradition on the night of May Day is "bringing in May": kids used to go into the woods to gather flowers to bring from house to house to decorate the homes and obtaining, in exchange, food and drink. In practice, a kind of  springy "trick or treat"!

I wish you all a happy Walpurgisnacht!

♄Unornya

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