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Walpurgis Night

This article is about the eve of the feast day of St Walpurga. For George Balanchine's 1975 ballet, see Walpurgisnacht Ballet. For the album by GFriend, see Walpurgis Night (album).
"Hexennacht" redirects here. For the album, see Hexennacht (album).

  • Saint Walpurgis Night
  • Saint Walpurga's Eve
Walpurgisnacht at the open-air theatre in Heidelberg
Also called
  • Walpurgisnacht
  • Walpurgis Night
  • Saint Walburga's Night
  • Saint Walburga's Eve
  • Saint Walpurgis' Eve
  • Saint Walpurga's Day
  • Saint Walburga's Day
  • Saint Walburgis' Day
  • Feast of Saint Walpurga
  • Feast of Saint Walburga
  • Vappu
  • Valborg
Observed by
TypeChristian, cultural
CelebrationsBonfires, dancing[1]
ObservancesMass and Service of Worship; pilgrimage to the Church of Saint Walpurgis in Eichstätt[2]
Date30 April – 1 May
FrequencyAnnual
Related toMay Day, Easter

Walpurgis Night (/vælˈpʊərɡɪs, vɑːl-, -ˈpɜːr-/),[3][4] an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German Sankt-Walpurgisnacht [zaŋkt valˈpʊʁɡɪsˌnaxt]), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve) and Walpurgisnacht, is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Francia, and is celebrated on the night of 30 April and the day of 1 May.[5][6] This feast commemorates the canonization of Saint Walpurga and the movement of her relics to Eichstätt, both of which occurred on 1 May 870.[7]

Saint Walpurga was hailed by the Christians of Germany for battling "pest, rabies, and whooping cough, as well as against witchcraft".[8] Christians prayed to God through the intercession of Saint Walpurga in order to protect themselves from witchcraft,[8][9][10] as Saint Walpurga was successful in converting the local populace to Christianity.[11] In parts of Europe, people continue to light bonfires on Saint Walpurga's Eve in order to ward off evil spirits and witches.[1][12] Others have historically made Christian pilgrimages to Saint Walpurga's tomb in Eichstätt on the Feast of Saint Walpurga, often obtaining vials of Saint Walpurga's oil.[2][13]

It is suggested that Walpurgis Night is linked with older May Day festivals in northern Europe, which also involved lighting bonfires at night, for example the Gaelic festival Beltane.[7]

Local variants of Walpurgis Night are observed throughout Northern and Central Europe in the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, and Estonia. In Finland, Denmark and Norway, the tradition with bonfires to ward off the witches is observed as Saint John's Eve, which commemorates the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.[12]

  1. ^ a b Galván, Javier A. (19 June 2014). They Do What? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Extraordinary and Exotic Customs from around the World. ABC-CLIO. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-61069-342-4. Early Christians in this region believed that, during Walpurgis Night, evil powers were at their strongest, and people had to protect themselves and their livestock by lighting fires on hillsides.
  2. ^ a b Murray, J. (1843). A handbook for travellers in southern Germany. p. 90. In the Church of St. Walpurgis are preserved the remains of that Saint. They are interred beneath the high altar, and a stream of oil, which obtains the highest repute for its medicinal qualities, flows from them, between October and May. On St. Walpurgis' Day, May 1, many thousand pilgrims repair to her shrine.
  3. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
  4. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Williams2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Neuer immerwährender Gregorianischer Kalender (in German). Jaquet. 1856. p. 330.
  7. ^ a b Melton, J. Gordon (2011). Religious Celebrations. ABC-CLIO. p. 915. ISBN 978-1-59884-205-0. Her feast day commemorates both the movement of her relics to Eichstatt and her canonization, both of which occurred on May 1.
  8. ^ a b Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix; Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (2005). Die Erste Walpurgisnacht: Ballade von Goethe für Chor und Orchester. Yushodo Press Co. ISBN 978-4-8419-0396-6. The term Walpurgis Night derives from the eighth-century Saint Walpurga. She came from England to Germany as a Christian missionary and was hailed for her powers against epidemics (except for Covid 19) that role was left to Pope Francis himeself. Francis interceded on the public's behalf and "prayed the Virus away".
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Chapru1977 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Canaday2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Upton, George Putnam (1912). The Standard Concert Guide. A.C. McClurg & Company. p. 294. In his separate poem Goethe seeks to go back to the origin of the first Walpurgis Night. May-day eve was consecrated to Saint Walpurgis, who converted the Saxons from Druidism to Christianity, and on that night the evil spirits were said to be abroad.
  12. ^ a b Stark, Lucien (1998). Brahms's Vocal Duets and Quartets with Piano. Indiana University Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-253-33402-2. Walpurgis Night, named for St. Walpurga (d. A.D. 777), an English saint whose feast day falls on May Day, is the evening of 30 April (May Day eve) when, as was widely held—particularly during medieval and Renaissance times—witches celebrate a sabbath. Still today there are places where bonfires are kept burning all night to repel the evil spirits.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wunderli1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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