German word of the Day: Walpurgisnacht
In Germany you may hear about plans for
Waplurgisnacht
festivities as the end of April approaches.
'Walpurgis' here refers to Saint Walburga, who was canonised (or made a saint) on May 1st in the year 870. So
Walpurgisnacht
is perhaps best translated as St. Walpurga's Day Eve, but since the tradition is not well known in English speaking countries, you may as well just stick to the German
Walpurgisnacht
.
What's the story behind
Walpurgishnacht
?
Walpurgisnacht
is also sometimes called
Hexenbrennen,
or 'the burning of witches', which is what the tradition is thought to have evolved from.
Going back to medieval Europe, there was a push by the
Catholic church
to rid the region of pagan traditions and convert communities to Christianity. Enter Walpurga, an English nun who came to Germany on a mission to Christianise the Saxons.
Despite facing many of the tremendous challenges of the time (like rabies and whooping cough), Walpurga was largely credited at having accomplished her mission – therefore she became the saint that Christians would pray to for protection from witchcraft.
READ ALSO:
Are you ready for Walpurgisnacht, Germany's night of witches?
But while Christianity grew in popularity and influence, pagan and folk beliefs and traditions lived on in various aspects of life for Germanic peoples, especially in more remote regions like the Harz Mountains.
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Then around the 16th and 17th centuries, a further Christian-led push to rid Europe of paganism created a hysterical backlash to all things intepreted as witchcraft. Legend spread that witches' covens were held around Brocken Mountain, and communities in the region saw
widespread witch hunts that claimed thousands of lives
.
Around this time villagers would gather on this evening to light bonfires and make loud noises – both of which were thought to scare away witches and evil spirits.
'Walpurgis night' by Luis Ricardo Falero, 1878. Image by WikiCommons
How is
Walpurgisnacht
celebrated today?
Later, starting in the 18th to 19th centuries, superstition around witchcraft was replaced by a more playful and curious appreciation of it by Romantic-era artists who began coming to the Brocken to engage in
Walpurgisnacht
celebrations. These were a step closer to the modern traditions.
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Today
Walpurgisnacht
is often celebrated with bonfires and dancing late into the night (sometimes also in witch costumes).
The tradition lives on in parts of Germany (and especially in the Harz Mountains) as well as other parts of eastern and northern Europe – like Sweden,
where it's called 'Valborg'
.
Use it like this:
Ich muss mein Hexenkostüm für die Walpurgisnacht kaufen.
I need to buy my witch costume for Walpurgisnacht.
Komm, es ist Walpurgisnacht, wir müssen mit den Hexen tanzen!
Come, it's Walpurgisnacht so we must dance with the witches!
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