Walpurgis Night

In the Middle Ages, in Germany and Scandinavia there was a belief that it was on the night of the 30-th of April – the 1-st of May, that the gates between the worlds opened and the evil forces gathered for their holiday. Witches flew on broomsticks and goats to a feast to the mountain peaks. There they held grandiose ceremonies and festivals with demons and the devil. World celebrity was probably given to the holiday thanks to Goethe, who described how Mephistopheles brings to the Sabbath of Faust. Traditionally Walpurgis night begins about 23 hours. The most famous places of big Sabbaths in Europe are Mount Brocken in Germany and the Bald Mountain in Kiev. In the place of the coven, a huge bonfire is bred, except for this the obligatory accessory is a black stone slab-altar. By midnight, gradually all the evil spirits are pulled up, and exactly at midnight on the stove a demon appears in the form of a huge black goat - this is the king of darkness Satan.

Today in the countries of Central and Western Europe Walpurgis night is a spring and fertility holiday. It received its name in honor of St. Walpurgia, a nun who came from England to Germany and dreamed of founding her own monastery. Traditionally, the 1-st of May 1 is the day of her memory. It is certainly not known why the name of the saint is associated with mystical rites and witches. Historians believe that in the course of years, Christian and pagan holidays were simply mixed up.

According to materials of calend.ru