The walpurgis night It is a tradition that exists in several European countries, but what is the origin of this night and when is it celebrated? Here we tell you.
What is Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis night is a celebration of pagan origin that refers to the night before the Christian festival of Saint Walpurgean abbess who was a missionary in Germany during the 8th century.
When is Walpurgis Night 2022
On May 1, 870, St. Walpurga’s canonization took place, thus bringing her relics to Eichstätt. That is why May 1 is Saint Walpurga, so Walpurgis Night is celebrated on the night of April 30 to May 1.
Why is Walpurgis Night celebrated?
As we said, Saint Walpurga was a missionary much loved by German Christians because she fought with diseases and plagues such as whooping cough, for which many of them prayed to Saint Walpurga to protect themselves from the evil of witches. Thus began the tradition of organizing bonfires the night before her commemoration to ward off bad energies.
Origin of Walpurgis Night
The origin of this celebration has to do with the ancient pagan celebrations in Germany in which the gods of fertility were invoked during the night of April 30. This was done on this date because the change of season from spring to summer.
Also celebrated on this date beltan festival which consisted of lighting bonfires in honor of Belenos, the god of fire, so that the smoke would renew the energies of the town and its inhabitants. Although later, and with the arrival of Christianity, this tradition was associated with a supposed birthday of Satan.
Already in Ancient Rome the Romans considered May a sacred month in which the dead visited the living and also in the Middle Ages people did not get married in May because you could marry a person from the other world or a bewitched person.
How is Walpurgis Night celebrated?
As we say, one of the main traditions that takes place on Walpurgis night is to make bonfires to scare away bad spirits, bad energies, etc. But pilgrimages are also often made to the tomb of Saint Walpurga in Eichstätt and bottles of oil are offered.
Depending on the country, Walpurgis Night traditions may vary. The countries where this tradition exists are in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland and Estonia. In other countries such as Denmark and Norway it is also celebrated but the tradition of the bonfires, as in Spain, is known as the night of San Juan.