In Germany and the Scandinavian countries today after sunset, lovers of mysticism will begin to celebrate Walpurgis Night. Thousands of tourists and fans of witches, devils and sorcerers from different countries.

Walpurgis Night/Walpurgisnacht/ is a traditional spring festival and the most significant of the pagan fertility holidays. It was always celebrated on the night from April 30 to May 1 in most of the Central and Northern Europe. This is how the ancient Germans and Scandinavians welcomed the blossoming spring.

The very name of "Walpurgis Night" is associated with the name of Saint Walpurga, the Wimburn nun who came from England to Germany in 748 to found a monastery. She was very popular and soon began to be revered as a saint. In Germany, Walpurga was considered the patroness of sailors, a healer who expels evil spirits. At the site of her grave, “healing holy oil” streamed myrrh in the rock, which helped people cast out demons. In the Roman list of saints, her day falls on May 1st.

In the Middle Ages there was a belief that Walpurgis Night was a time of feasting for witches in Germany and Scandinavia. People believed that witches sat astride brooms and flew to mountain peaks, where they spent time in wild feasts and dances.

Many now believe that the center of this exuberant festival is Mount Brocken in the Harz. Those gathered will celebrate the Witches' Sabbath by dressing up as evil spirits, jumping around bonfires, driving out evil spirits, and dancing around the magical "maypole."

Russians know Walpurgis Night from the children's fairy tale “The Little Witch,” where the main character tries to get to the main gathering of witches, but is expelled from there. If you believe the old legend, there really was no place for little ones at this holiday, because witches gathered in the Harz for orgies. Using a special ointment, the witches flew to Bloksberg, to Mount Brocken, on brooms, cats and goats, and there they honored their patron, the devil, who appeared to them in the form of a horned one. To strengthen and prolong the validity of their pact with evil spirits, the participants of the coven lined up and kissed the goat on the butt.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe poeticized the ancient beliefs about the witches' Sabbath in his immortal Faust:

On Brocken the witches are drawn in a row.
The oats have sprouted, the barley has not been harvested.
There is Urian, the prince of obscurantism
Shows off in the sky.
...A squad is flying through the air,
Goats and horsewomen stink...

It is no wonder that in the Middle Ages any healer who knew how to prepare ointments could easily be classified as a witch. Thus, the remnants of pagan beliefs perished at the hands of the Inquisition. However, judging by the modern festivities on Walpurgis Night, it becomes clear that the dark pages of European history attract many people.

The pre-Christian inhabitants of the Harz celebrated the onset of spring on April 30, as well as the wedding of Wotan (the German supreme deity), making numerous sacrifices. The first of May was considered the beginning of summer for them. On this day, they dressed up in costumes and, lighting a fire, drove out evil spirits. Then, in the process of Christianization, both the name of the holiday and its meaning changed. Now it combines pagan Germanic and Celtic traditions with Catholic ones. It is almost impossible to figure out where one begins and the other ends.

The holiday received its modern name from Saint Walpurgis. Walpurgis was a nun of the Order of Saint Benedict. She was born in 710 to St. Richard and Queen Wunna in England and later became abbess of the monastery of Heidenheim. Walpurgis was the holy protector against plague, cough, madness, and hunger. She was also considered the patroness of peasant women and young girls.

Walpurgis Night is celebrated with noise to this day: tourists from all over Germany, dressed as devils and witches, gather on the most high mountain Harza Brockene. It all starts with dancing, then giant bonfires are lit. Fireworks displays are often held. Sometimes this day is also called the “Dance in May” (“Tanz in den Mai”). The combination of magic, pagan customs and eroticism attracts people of all ages. In many places where the holiday is celebrated, the election of the May Queen is also included in the program. By the way, the first impromptu witches’ festivities, where people dressed as witches and devils took part in a comic sabbath, took place back in 1896.

At the same time, many traditions are associated with fear of evil spirits and the desire to protect oneself from their rampage. Thus, in the old days, the courtyards of peasant houses were protected with the help of folded rods and brooms. Crosses and bunches of grass were fastened with nails on the doors of houses, brooms were placed with brushwood up, and bells were rung loudly at night. To protect livestock, blessed salt was poured onto the thresholds of barns.

Many ancient Walpurgis rituals are still found in peasant life. In many areas of Germany, on April 30, a witch fire (Das Hexenfeuer) is lit, which is used to drive out evil spirits. The tradition of passing between two fires has also been preserved, the flames of which are supposed to cleanse and protect against infections. Sometimes young people jump over the fire holding hands. On Walpurgis Night, according to tradition, young men place gift birch trees in the yard of their beloved ones. A huge tree, decorated with colored paper ribbons and symbolizing fertility, is erected in the middle of the village. Residents dance around him.

In Ireland and Scotland, Beltane is celebrated on Walpurgis Night, named after the god Belen. In the old Celtic calendar, it is the beginning of summer - just as Halloween is considered the beginning of winter. Here, too, bonfires are lit, and houses and gardens are decorated with flowers.

Since pagan times, our ancestors feared and looked forward to this night most of all; they believed that on Walpurgis Night there is a rampant of evil spirits, devilry, and witches fly to a big Sabbath on Bald Mountain. Therefore, our ancestors used Walpurgis Night to drive out devils and cleanse the house of evil spirits and burned large bonfires.

The history of Walpurgis Night

There are several versions about the origin of the “unclean” night itself. The first, most controversial, is associated with a specific person - Saint Walpurgis - Walburgia of Heidenheim. She was born around 710 in the family of King Richard of West Saxony. At the age of 11 she entered a monastery. Then, as part of a group of missionaries, the nun of royal blood went to Germany. One day, the ship on which Walpurgis was sailing was caught in a storm. She threw herself on her knees and began to pray. The hurricane stopped and the sea calmed down. Thanks to this miracle, Walpurgis became the patroness of sailors.

Another miracle happened after her death in 777. She was buried in the abbey, which was later renovated and the saint’s grave was desecrated. Walburga's soul came to the abbot, and he ordered the remains of the deceased to be transferred to a cave in Eistadt. This happened on May 1st. Soon life-giving oil began to ooze from the rock. After this, Walpurgis was honored as a saint.

You may wonder what connected a holy woman with evil spirits? There are several interesting and at the same time suspicious facts. The day of her remembrance coincides with the celebration of a pre-Christian celebration dedicated to the arrival of spring. On the frescoes depicting the saint, there are strange symbols that are not characteristic of the image of a nun. She is depicted against a background of linden trees and mountains, as well as with a dog and a mirror. All these symbols speak of her connection with natural or pagan beliefs, rather than with Christian ones.

Pre-Christian celebrations of Walpurgis Night

The name of the Beltane holiday is known to few people in our time, but in the 8th century it was the most desired and long-awaited for the pagans. In many Gaelic dialects, the name of the holiday is translated as May, which means it’s time to drive the cattle out to summer pastures. On this day, the most important pagan deity, the Sun, descends from heaven to earth and it is necessary to make a sacrifice to him. This is done to ensure that the whole year is productive.

The burning of fires, which were lit in the highest places, was considered an obligatory ritual. Two huge fires on the mountain were surrounded by a deep ditch. It was intended for spectators. They took their place in the ditch and waited for the bonfire to be lit and the chants to begin. Three times all the people walked around the fire, drove herds of animals through it and brought torches into their houses to consecrate and illuminate the family hearth.

Traditions of Walpurgis Night

The ball is ruled here by Satan himself, who, in the form of a horned goat, sits in the place of honor in the center. Every witch is obliged to show her respect to the lord. They take turns approaching the dais and kissing the ruler. The most beautiful witch, who is the ringleader and is considered the queen of the meeting, enjoys special favor from Satan.

Having shown their respect to Satan while singing and dancing, everyone began to tell what they had done over the past year and what evil they had done. Here it is decided what the witches will do throughout the next year, and what meanness they will commit against the human race. Satan is a strict judge; he does not forgive those who disobey him and severely punishes them with blows of the whip. To begin the devil's meal, witches light torches.

The dishes on the table are unique. This is primarily horse meat, which is consumed without salt and bread. All drinks are served from animal horns, hooves and skulls. The sounds of a devilish orchestra consisting of cat tails and horse skulls are heard above the mountain. After a hearty meal and libations, the witches dance wildly around the fire. Their cavaliers, the demons, never stop jumping and spinning around like in a frying pan. Depraved and lustful orgies are also held here, in which everyone on the mountain participates.

When Walpurgis Night ends, according to legend, at the site of the Sabbath people see bare bones and hoof marks.

Walpurgis Night today

The traditions of our ancestors have found their response in our days. Many peoples of Central and Northern Europe continue to celebrate the holiday of spring and the blossoming of nature. Following ancient traditions, people burn huge bonfires. Thus, they disperse the witches gathered for the Sabbath and purify themselves by the power of fire. All day long, concerts with student performances, round dances and games take place in city squares. For more than a hundred years, celebrations on Walpurgis Night have been held according to this program.

On Walpurgis Night, Scandinavians, like other peoples, light bonfires and perform cleansing rituals. They burn all the garbage that has accumulated over the year. In honor of the holiday, a special dish is prepared - gravlax. It has no analogues: fresh fish - salmon - is pre-seasoned in salt with the addition of sugar and dill (this is what ancient people did on Walpurgis Night, only they buried it in the sand and ate it after lighting the fire).

This is a special holiday for Czechs. In this country there are many legends about this day and among people there is a fear of evil spirits. To prevent any witch from entering the house and harming people, a lot of sand and grass are poured onto the threshold. According to legend, before entering the room, they count everything that lies on the threshold. The more sand there is, the less likely it is that the witch will cope before dawn. Walpurgis Night is a busy time for Bavarians.

Prohibitions

It is believed that on this day you should not bring lilacs into the house, especially where there is a sick person. It is believed that lilac intoxicates the patient with its smell and calls him to another world. Caution must be observed in words and actions.

It is believed that commemoration of evil spirits, swear words, active gestures, irritability and aggression also make a person a toy in the hands of evil forces. You cannot wear clothes on this night that you were wearing during some conflict or event.

It is believed that such clothing retains negative energy and attracts spirits. You should also forget about black color.

Collocation Walpurgis Night causes fear and trepidation in common man. Walpurgis Night is always associated with some kind of devilry and rampant witches. It is impossible for an ordinary person to understand what is happening around and whether it is reality. Since ancient times, our ancestors have used Walpurgis Night to drive out devils and cleanse the house of evil spirits. This holiday dates back to ancient times and belongs to pagan beliefs. It has an exact date on the calendar, which falls on the first of May. On the night from April thirtieth to May first, all the souls of the dead come out to people and do the most incredible things.

Pre-religious celebrations of Walpurgis Night.

The name of the Beltane holiday is known to few people in our time, but in the eighth century it was the most desired and long-awaited for the pagans. In many Gaelic dialects, the name of the holiday is translated as May, which means it’s time to drive the cattle out to summer pastures. Many legends and beliefs are associated with the first of May. On this day, the most important pagan deity, the Sun, descends from heaven to earth and a sacrifice must be made to him. This is done so that the whole year will be fruitful and not deprived of higher protection.

In November, the festival of Samhain was celebrated, which completed the bright half of the year, opened by Beltane. Both of these days were very important for the pagans because they symbolized the beginning and end of the blessed summer period. At the same time, the traditional actions of the first of November and the first of May coincided. The burning of fires, which were lit in the highest places, was considered an obligatory ritual.

Preparations for the holiday were carried out very carefully. A week before the celebration, all residents were collecting special types of wood that were supposed to burn in the sacred fire. Two huge fires on the mountain were surrounded by a deep ditch. It was intended for spectators.

Long before dawn, all the residents left their houses and, chasing animals in front of them, went up to the huge fires. They took their place in the ditch and silently waited for sunrise. The first rays of the sun gave rise to the lighting of the fire and chanting. Three times all the people walked around the fire, drove herds of animals through it and brought torches into their houses to consecrate and illuminate the family hearth.

Some peoples had a tradition of planting the May bush and decorating it. In Germany, a Maypole was erected, games were held near it and round dances were held. This cheerful celebration was prohibited with the advent of Christianity, as a relic of paganism. It is very difficult to break away from the usual way of life, so old women, under pain of death, continued to perform traditional rituals, hiding in dense forests. After some time, the holiday was forgotten, and the spring celebration turned into a witches' Sabbath.

The history of Walpurgis Night.

Surprisingly, the traditions of celebrating Walpurgis Night are associated with a specific historical figure. A native of Devonshire, Walburga was the daughter of a Saxon king named Richard. Getting ready for a long trip to the Holy Land, the father is very worried about the safety of his little girl, so he leaves her in the care of the strict abbess of the Winborne Monastery. Within these walls, young Walburga was destined to live for twenty-six years. Then, as part of a group of missionaries, the nun of royal blood went to Germany. On the way, a terrible storm hit the ship, and all the travelers fell into panic. Nun Walburga knelt down and began to pray, the others followed suit, and the storm disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Since then, sailors began to revere her as their patroness.

Having gone through a long journey as a nun and abbess, she became famous for her miracles, which she performed with faith in God. The date of her death is the twenty-fifth of February 777. After her burial, renovations were started at the abbey and the saint’s grave was desecrated. Walburga's soul came to the new abbot, and he ordered the remains of the deceased to be transferred to a cave in Eistadt. This happened on the first of May. Healing moisture began to ooze from the rock, which brought relief to all those suffering. After Walburga's canonization, her remains were taken to churches in Germany to gain her patronage.

You may wonder what connected this holy woman with the evil forces that come to light on Walpurgis Night? There are several interesting and at the same time suspicious facts.
The day of her commemoration coincides with the celebration of a pre-Christian celebration dedicated to the arrival of spring.
On the frescoes depicting the saint, there are strange symbols that are not characteristic of the image of a nun. She is depicted against the backdrop of linden trees and mountains, as well as with a dog and a mirror. All these symbols speak of her connection with natural or pagan beliefs, rather than with Christian ones. In the image of Walburga, the canons of faith and traditional customs of the pagans are intertwined.

Walpurgis Night in folklore.

Walpurgis Night is reflected in both folklore and literary works. This event could not go unnoticed and over the centuries it became overgrown with many legends, stories and fables. Their homeland is Germany.
From the Middle Ages there continues to be a prejudice today that Walpurgis Night- This is a witch rampage that is sweeping all of Germany. At the same time, villagers burned stuffed witches at the stake and cleansed houses and fields of evil spirits. Meanwhile, the witches, on the contrary, prevented the beginning warm season and they spent the whole time in terrible dances and bacchanals until dawn.

There was an opinion that many herbs acquired special healing powers on Walpurgis Night. In this regard, women who knew herbs went into the forests and fields and collected precious roots. After that, they treated all those suffering with their decoctions with unshakable faith in success and positive results.
Residents of the Middle Ages firmly believed in all the stories about Walpurgis Night and were afraid of evil spirits. All decent people tried to protect themselves and their property.

Traditions of Walpurgis Night.

The gathering place for all witches is Bald Mountain, which is located in Germany. This is where the elite of the witch world meet. They come, fly in on brooms and pitchforks, accompanied by devils who are their lovers. The ball is ruled here by Satan himself, who, in the form of a horned goat, sits in the place of honor in the center. Every witch is obliged to show her respect to the lord. They take turns approaching the dais and kissing the ruler. The most beautiful witch, who is the ringleader and is considered the queen of the meeting, enjoys special favor from Satan.

Having shown their respect to Satan while singing and dancing, everyone began to tell what they had done over the past year and what evil they had done. Here it is decided what the witches will do throughout the next year, and what meanness they will commit against the human race. Satan is a strict judge; he does not forgive those who disobey him and severely punishes them with blows of the whip.

To begin the devil's meal, witches light numerous torches. The dishes on the table are unique. This is primarily horse meat, which is consumed without salt and bread. All drinks are served from animal horns, hooves and skulls. The sounds of a devilish orchestra consisting of cat tails and horse skulls are heard above the mountain.

After a hearty meal and libations, the witches dance wildly around the fire. Their cavaliers, the demons, never stop jumping and spinning around like in a frying pan. Depraved and lustful orgies are also held here, in which everyone on the mountain participates. When Walpurgis Nightends, at the site of the Sabbath people see bare bones and hoof marks.

Walpurgis Night in our days.

The traditions of our ancestors have found their response in our days. Many peoples of Central and Northern Europe continue to celebrate the holiday of spring and the blossoming of nature. Following ancient traditions, people burn huge bonfires, trying to make them as bright and large as possible. Thus, they disperse the witches gathered for the Sabbath and purify themselves by the power of fire. All day long, concerts with student performances, round dances and games take place in city squares. For more than a hundred years, celebrations on Walpurgis Night have been held according to this program. In different countries, despite the general concept of the holiday, there are specific features of its implementation. Traditions have been unshakable for a long time.

On Walpurgis Night, Scandinavians, like other peoples, light bonfires and perform cleansing rituals. They burn all the garbage that has accumulated over the year. In honor of the holiday, a special dish is prepared - gravlax. It has no analogues in the culinary traditions of other nations. Fresh fish - salmon is pre-seasoned in salt with the addition of sugar and dill.

In other European countries Walpurgis Night accompanied by explosions of firecrackers and loud sounds. It is believed that evil spirits, frightened by the noise, will run away into the forests and will not bother respectable citizens. The firecrackers are left to the boys to explode after sunset.

Walpurgis Night It's a special holiday for Czechs. In this country there are many legends about this day and among people lives before evil spirits. To prevent any witch from entering the house and harming people, a lot of sand and grass are poured onto the threshold. According to legend, before entering the room, they count everything that lies on the threshold. The more sand there is, the less likely it is that the witch will cope before dawn.

Walpurgis Night For Bavarians, it's busy time. On a holiday, as a joke, doors are removed from their hinges and moved to another place, while their handles are smeared with paste or soot. And if you are careless, the laces will either be stolen or tied together.

Walpurgis Night has not become a thing of history, but remains an active holiday. The uniqueness of the celebration is that it contains three directions: the spring holiday, the witches' Sabbath and the day of remembrance of the canonized saint.

Each witch comes to the festival with her devil lover. The ruler of demonic forces himself - Satan, in the form of a goat with a black human face, sits importantly and solemnly on a high chair or on a large stone table in the middle of the meeting. All those present at the gathering declare their submission to him by kneeling and kissing. Satan turns with special favor to one witch, who plays a leading role in the circle of sorceresses and in whom it is not difficult to recognize their queen (hexenkönigin). Flocking in from different countries and regions, unclean spirits and witches report what evil they have done and conspire to commit new intrigues; when Satan is dissatisfied with someone's tricks, he punishes the guilty with blows. Then, by the light of torches lit from a flame that burns between the horns of a large goat, they begin the feast: they greedily devour horse meat and other dishes, without bread or salt, and drink the prepared drinks from cow hooves and horse skulls. At the end of the meal, a frantic dance begins, to the sounds of extraordinary music. The musician sits on a tree; instead of a bagpipe or violin, he holds a horse's head, and either a simple stick or a cat's tail serves as a pipe or bow. Witches, grasping hands with demons, jump, spin and dance in circles with wild joy and shameless gestures. The next morning, at the places where they danced, circles can be seen on the grass, as if trampled by the feet of cows and goats.

- Afanasyev A. N. Poetic views of the Slavs on nature

This belief, also reflected in Goethe’s tragedy “Faust,” developed around the end of the 8th century, probably in the same way as the belief in witches and witches in general arose and spread: since May 1 was celebrated with special solemnity by the pagans, old women and in general, all those who could not immediately abandon pagan rituals in favor of Christianity, despite the strict ban, continued to gather in inaccessible places to celebrate May 1 in a proper way, that is, with songs and dances. The situation (bonfires, wilderness), and perhaps the rumors deliberately spread by these secret pagans (to get rid of unnecessary witnesses), contributed to the spread among the people of stories about witches gathering that night in various inaccessible places. John Kohler mentions these celebrations in 1603, later in the same 17th century, but already in the second half, there is a mention by Johannes Praetorius.

According to legends, the same gatherings of witches happen on Christmas nights, on the eve of Lent (German). fastnacht), on Bright Week, on spring Yuryev's Day (among the Eastern Slavs), May 1 (among the Germans), and on Midsummer's Night.

Traditions among European peoples

Among the Italians, on the last evening of April or May 1, groups of village youths go from house to house. They carry a green branch (Italian: majo, maggio), decorated with colored ribbons and fresh flowers, sing a song announcing the arrival of spring, and ask for offerings. Here and there, on one May evening, guys place a green branch at the entrance to their sweetheart’s house. This is a form of a sentence. If the girl agrees to marry him, she takes this branch into the house. Otherwise, it throws it onto the road. In Sicily, everyone, young and old, goes to the meadows on May 1st. There they collect flowers (yellow daisies) and make bouquets, wreaths and garlands from them. Then they go to the chapels, where they express their cherished desires. Sicilians believe that these daisies should bring happiness and health.

Among the Slovaks and Czechs, on the night before the first of May, young men put up trees - “May” (Slovak. maj). This is a tall coniferous tree (fir or spruce), cleared of bark, with the crown left at the top. The top of the tree is decorated with multi-colored ribbons, scarves, and rolls. A wide wreath of spring flowers is hung below the crown. In each village several of these trees are erected, the tallest of them being in the main village square. In addition, each young man places a tree (usually a birch) in front of his girlfriend's house. In May, the first youth “music” in the open air was held on the main square. Guys with a small tree went from house to house with carols and invited girls to dance. For this invitation, the girls had to give gifts to the boys.

Lusatians have a custom of establishing a maypole and beliefs associated with the belief in witches on the first of May. On the eve of May 1, young men cut down a tall pine or spruce tree in the forest, brought it to the village at night, cleaned the trunk, leaving the top green, and then decorated it with a wreath, colored ribbons, a wooden cross and placed it on the tree before sunrise. central square. In the morning, a celebration with dancing was held under this tree. Lusatians believed that on May 1st, witches flocked to their Sabbath and at this time they were especially dangerous. Various measures were used for protection: they painted crosses on the doors, placed a broom on the threshold, hung green branches, hit metal with stones, fumigated the barn; We tried not to leave milk and household utensils outside the house. There was a custom of "burning witches" ( khodojty palić): guys with burning brooms in their hands ran into the field, throwing brooms into the air.

The Croats and Slovenes in some areas organized ritual processions of children and youth on the eve of May 1. Festively dressed groups of children and girls went around houses with good wishes and received gifts for this.

Depictions in culture

In literature

• “Dream on Walpurgis Night” in “Faust” by W. Goethe.
• Scenes in the novel “The Master and Margarita” by M. Bulgakov.
• The novel "Walpurgis Night" by Gustav Meyrink.
• The events of H. P. Lovecraft's story "Dreams in the Witch's House" take place shortly before Walpurgis Night and are directly related to it.
• Attempts on Merlin, the hero of the Chronicles of Amber (Pentateuch of Merlin), systematically occur before Walpurgis Night.
• In the book "Little Baba Yaga" by the writer Otfried Preusler, Walpurgis Night is mentioned throughout the book. The little witch is not allowed to attend the Walpurgis Night celebration, since she is not yet old enough “to dance.”
• A play in five acts “Walpurgis Night, or “Steps of the Commander”” by Venedikt Erofeev.
• The 23rd chapter of the Unbreakable Machine Doll manga is titled "Walpurgis Night".

In music

• Part 5 of Hector Berlioz’s Symphony Fantastique entitled “Dream on the Night of the Sabbath.”
• Ballet "Walpurgis Night" -

Walpurgisnacht included many different historical and traditional elements. What is their, let’s say, energy-informational component?..

Firstly, the holiday of Walpurgis Night is the main witches' Sabbath and at the same time an important celebration in paganism associated with fertility. This is a period when people gain new strength and their most daring desires come true. Outwardly, in some ways, the action resembles Halloween: both of these mystical festivals, different in time, are accompanied by the presence of various kinds of mummers, symbolizing certain characters from the category of evil spirits and afterlife inhabitants. But the origin of Walpurgis Night is still somewhat different.

What does this word mean and why is Walpurgis Night?

Expression Walpurgis Night literally means witch night or witch's fire. The word is pronounced with the emphasis on “y”. This pagan action, as many think, dates back to Ancient Rome and is associated with witches' Sabbaths, although it has been officially mentioned since the protocols of the medieval Inquisition.

A well-known medieval belief also says that on Walpurgis Night the witch elite from all over Germany and Scandinavia flocked on broomsticks to their main feast, held on the tops of the mountain slopes. Feasting on the popular Bald Mountain Brocken - expression Bald Mountain translated means Calvary- witches and devils tried with all their might to prevent the beginning of spring, sending damage to livestock and people.

Therefore, the day before, residents of villages and hamlets held magical ceremonies in order to expel witches, lighting bonfires everywhere and burning witch effigies on them. They went around neighboring houses with lit torches, rang church bells, etc., in order to smoke out witches and various evil spirits from their villages forever. Ordinary forest grass acquired miraculous powers at this time, and herbal healers replenished their herbal reserves during this period.

However, the place where Walpurgis Night is celebrated may differ among different nations, but traditionally this event is held in the open air: in forests, on hills or in spacious forest clearings near water bodies.

What is Walpurgis Night? history of the holiday

Thus, having originated in pagan times and bearing the imprint of ancient pagan traditions and beliefs, the festival of fertility, when people, appeasing the gods, ritually prayed for a harvest and healthy offspring, smoothly passed into the subsequent era. The only difference is that through the efforts of the church, all its pagan attributes were erased or replaced with Christian ones.

By the way, another name of it, Zhiva Day, as already mentioned here, is associated precisely with the name of Zhiva, the goddess of fertility. After all, the word life itself was called before stomach, thereby symbolizing the concepts of the body, property and human existence itself as such.

In the Christian era, the goddess Zhiva was replaced by Paraskeva Pyatnitsa. Her functions and attributes also resemble similar properties of another pagan goddess - Makosh, the goddess of fate; (in Scandinavia - the goddess Norn).

It is interesting that this holiday did not escape Muslims either: the night when destinies are decided in this religion (Laylat-al-Qadr) and when, meeting the sunrise, Muslims make their wishes, coming just on April 30 - May 1, which smoothly returns us to the theme of Walpurgis Night.

Walpurgis Night in other calendars

On the night of April 30 to May 1, Walpurgis Night is celebrated in the countries of Central and Northern Europe. This tradition dates back to Celtic times and their eight festivals, which conventionally divided the year into approximately eight equal parts, depending on the position of the sun in relation to the earth. This is how the concept of winter (Yule) and summer solstice existed.

In addition, the following were also celebrated:

• Imbaelk (Imbolc) or, in Scandinavian, Groundhog Day, (in Russia - Candlemas): the time when winter met spring;
• Walpurgis Night (or Zhivin's Day), preceding the Beltane holiday (April 30): the end of winter and the beginning of summer;
• Samhain (Halloween) November 31 or All Saints' Day in the Christian tradition, marking the end of the summer period and the beginning of the new year among the Celts;

Walpurgisnacht, celebrated on the eve of Beltane (Beltane), was held on the night of May 1st and marked the transition from winter to summer with its great summer sun; Halloween, on the contrary, crowned the onset of winter, that is, on the night before the first of November, it opened the gates to the afterlife for the living, just like Walpurgis Night.

Name: Walpurgis Night

this festival was later appropriated by the Germans in honor of Saint Walpurgis (Walburga, Waltpurde, Walpurgis, Wabur, Falbur, Buga, Godurj). This character is a real historical figure, born into a noble British family: Walpurgis was the daughter of one of the kings of West Saxony.

Walpurgis spent thirty-seven years of her life in the Winborne Monastery. Here she perfectly studied many foreign languages, using them to tell other peoples about her brother’s travels: therefore, she is also considered one of the first writers in Europe.

Walpurgis left the monastery for Germany as a missionary to create a network of German monasteries by sea, and on the way their ship was overtaken by a terrible storm. And - the nun, falling to her knees on the deck, immediately calmed him down!.. - And this was the first miracle she created, after which the envoy was greeted with reverence in Germany.

A hundred years later it so happened that the abbess’s grave was desecrated: and one night her indignant shadow rose from the grave...

As a result, Walpurgis was canonized, canonized, and the aforementioned pagan holiday of Walpurgis Night was named after her.

How is Walpurgis Night celebrated?

Although, as we see, the general signs and signs of this holiday are largely similar, nevertheless, since ancient times it has been celebrated everywhere in different ways.

• In order to get rid of the garbage accumulated over the winter, spiritual renewal and quickly attract spring in Scandinavia, for example, they light fires and feast on gravlax - fresh salmon marinated with the addition of salt, sugar and dill.
• In the Czech Republic, on the eve of Walpurgis Night, the threshold is sprinkled with sand or covered with grass so that any evil spirits from beyond the grave cannot easily enter the house without counting all the obstacles in the form of grains of sand or blades of grass along the way.
• In German Bavaria, people, protecting themselves from evil spirits visiting the earth on Walpurgis' night, smear door handles with toothpaste, even move room doors to other places and pull out shoelaces...

And almost everywhere - as the sun sets, young people begin to scream; having fun and exploding firecrackers, creating noise that drives away evil spirits...

From an esoteric point of view, as already noted, Walpurgis Night is a certain overlap of various traditions that create a common perception of a single and holistic picture of a mystical triumph. And indeed, it turns out that on the same night in different parts of the world, people with different religious and mystical views simultaneously perform similar rituals... And if the essence of these rituals does not contradict each other, this makes the whole action even more mystical power and energy.

In a situation where one tradition, for example, is at enmity with another, the so-called war of egregors can begin. For example, in Jerusalem there is even a special psychiatric clinic specializing in pilgrimages and pilgrims: during religious holidays, as has been noted, a particularly strong wave of psychiatric exacerbations begins.

Walpurgis Night's Dream or the Golden Wedding of Oberon and Titania

And I would climb to the top of the hill.
There all your color is in the midst of drunkenness,
All the devilish atamanism,
And Satan is at the very top
Holds the key to many secrets (3, p. 183), -

(Faust says to Mephistopheles).

The description of the scenes of Walpurgis Night in Goethe's Faust confirms all of the above: the great author depicts with his undying word the participation of a mere mortal in the mystical Sabbath of afterlife spirits.

This unique fragment of the eternal work of the great Goethe was finally completed in 1806. The prototype of Goethe's hero, who participated in the Walpurgis Sabbath, was the German literary figure Christoph Friedrich Nicolai, nicknamed the Seer, who was hostile to Goethe and Schiller. Goethe gave this not very flattering name to a colleague after he told in his publication how he got rid of hallucinations by placing leeches on his buttocks. And, which is very nice, this article was read out publicly at a meeting of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin. Further in Faust, in the episode “Classical Walpurgis Night”, elements of ancient Greek mythology itself are described.

...As for dreams during this mystical period, they are prophetic.

Walpurgis Night in Russia

This holiday in Rus' in the form in which it was celebrated in Europe was not particularly widespread. Despite this, information about him can be found in the famous Russian folklorist Alexander Afanasyev in the book “Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature.”

Each witch comes to the celebration together with her devil lover. The ruler of demonic forces himself - Satan, in the form of a goat with a black human face, sits importantly and solemnly on a high chair or on a large stone table in the middle of the meeting. - he wrote.

During the same period - on the night from April 30 to May 1 - we also burn garbage accumulated over the winter; they ask the goddess of fertility for a harvest; they collect medicinal herbs, and also make wishes, writing them down on bright ribbons or paper strips, which are then used to decorate the maypole. Previously, this pole was simply set on fire so that the message could reach the gods, but now all these ribbons and flats are hung on the branches of trees.

In essence, the Russian version of Walpurgis Night is more similar to the Roman equivalent of this celebration, where raucous events with wine, games and entertainment are held in honor of the goddess of fertility every spring. And, nevertheless, it should be noted that the holidays of Ivan Kupala and, now, Halloween, have become more popular analogues of Walpurgis Night in Rus'.