Seasonal rites
Walpurgis Night and May Day fires
Bonfires on the last night of April to drive away witches and welcome spring, and the May Day customs that follow.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
Walpurgis Night, on 30 April, is kept in Germany, Czechia, Sweden, Finland and Estonia. It is named after Saint Walburga but its customs are older. Bonfires are lit, and in German folklore witches were said to gather on the Brocken, the highest peak of the Harz, to meet the devil. The next day, May Day, brings maypoles, dancing and flower garlands.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- BonfireObjectLit at dusk on 30 April.
- Bells, shouting and noiseToolMeant to scare off witches.
- Birch branches and garlandsPlantHung up to welcome spring.
- MaypoleObjectRaised on 1 May.
- Spring songsWordSung round the fire.
- Object
- Tool
- Plant
- Word
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather Wood is collected over the days before. Step 2: Light The bonfire is lit at dusk on the last night of April. Step 3: Speak People sing, shout and make noise to send witches away. Step 4: Circle They dance around the fire. Step 5: Close On May Day, garlands and a maypole mark the arrival of spring.
Fires against witches
Bonfires and loud noise, such as bells and shot, were meant to drive witches away from homes and herds. Some villages put crosses or herbs over doors. The sceptical reading is that the stories of witch gatherings grew out of Church fears and a popular festival of spring.
Spring songs
In Sweden Valborg is a time for choirs and large bonfires, and university students hold spring festivities. In Finland Vappu is a carnival of students and workers on May Day.
Names
In Germany the night is Walpurgisnacht and the Brocken region holds a popular festival. Goethe's Faust made the witch revel known across Europe.
What it is for
- Protection against witches
- Welcoming spring
- Fertility of fields
Who does it
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Walpurgis Night: Luis Ricardo Falero, Public domain, source
- Maypole: Uploaded by Mikael Häggström, CC0, source
- Beltane: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source