Music and Rituals: Walpurgisnacht!

Walpurgisnacht is a Germanic and Scandinavian celebration that dates back to the 1700s. It was originally created to celebrate the canonization of St. Walpurga, who was a Christian abbess and missionary from the 700s. She perhaps most famously known for her work in Heidenheim, Germany, where she, with the help of her brother St. Willibald, converted the populace from Paganism to Christianity. Now, despite the fact that St. Walpurga was a Christian nun and Walpurgisnacht was originally celebrated in her honor, it is in the present day more well known as a pagan holiday, rather than a Christian holiday. The irony of the situation is not lost, I hope. 

St. Walpurga's canonization was on May 1st, 870. This led to the celebration of The Feast of St. Walpurga and Walpurga's Night (Walpurgisnacht), similar to how we have Christmas and Christmas Eve. It is on this feast day that many people make pilgrimages to St. Walpurga's tomb to obtain the oil which flows from it, which is said to have healing properties. Her feast day just so happen to be on the same day as Hexennacht, which a celebration that witches have in awaiting the arrival of spring. During Hexennacht, witches make a pilgrimage to the Brocken, which is the highest of the Harz mountains in central north Germany. It there that they supposedly hold revels with the Devil. 

The poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote about the Walpurgisnacht in his ballad, "Die erste Walpurgisnacht".

Felix Mendelssohn then wrote music to accompany Goethe's work:

What does that have to do with today's Walpurgisnacht?

 Nothing! I just thought it was interesting.

Now, Walpurgisnacht today is celebrated in many different ways, depending on which country you're in. In Sweden, the tradition varies from region to region, but generally, there is a public gathering where a large bonfire is lit, there's choral singing abound, and a celebration of the coming spring is in full force. Here is a video from a Swedish Valborg (Walpurgisnacht) in 2010. The song they're singing is called "Vintern Rasat," which translates to "The Winter has Fallen".

In the Czech Republic, Walpurgisnacht is known as 'Malostranké Čarodějnice', and it's their tradition to burn an effigy of a witch to represent the driving away of evil. This was an old tradition that is still prevalent today, though today it's done because more so for fun and as a declaration of the end of winter, rather than keeping the evil spirits at bay. I didn't find that they sung any particular songs during this celebration, but here's a video of a Malostranké Čarodějnice celebration in 2018.

Here are the links to the websites I used:

About Germany:

https://www.theoldcraft.com/2018/04/29/occult-art-the-first-walpurgis-night-cantata-by-felix-mendelssohn-bartholdy-after-a-poem-by-johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/

https://blog.carus-verlag.com/en/choral-works-in-focus/mendelssohn-the-first-walpurgis-night/

https://liminal11.com/2021/04/30/all-about-walpurgisnacht-the-ultimate-witches-holiday/

About the Czech Republic:

https://english.radio.cz/czechs-celebrate-carodejnice-annual-witch-burning-festival-8596505

https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/carodejnice-czech-witch-bonfire-festival

About Sweden:

https://sweden.se/culture/celebrations/walpurgis-night

https://naturetravels.wordpress.com/2007/04/30/valborg-bonfires-and-singing/