In the night from April 30th to May 1st is Walpurgis Night.
Dancing witches, customs with plants and many stories create a magical atmosphere.
Witches gather on the Blocksberg and dance wildly around the fire.
Even the devil himself is said to be present.
There are many stories about Walpurgis Night, they all have something magical about them.
And while magic unfortunately doesn't exist, some beautiful customs can still be practiced today.
Walpurgis Night: Witches, herbal customs and mythical stories
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The Walpurgis fire is the focus of Walpurgis Night.
© Olaf Döring/Imago
One of the most famous descriptions of Walpurgis Night can be found in Goethe's Faust I. Walpurgis Night, i.e. the night from April 30th to May 1st, is generally considered the night of the witches.
They should gather on the Blocksberg, which is actually called Brocken and is in the Harz mountains.
There are supposed to be rituals, fire, magical plants, devil's philandering and much more.
Unfortunately, you won't get instructions for a witch's potion here, but instead you will find the history of Walpurgis Night and some anecdotes about plants and their effects.
Walpurgis Night: That's how it got its name
Walpurgis Night owes its name to Saint Walburga.
Walburga was a Benedictine nun and also abbess of the Heidenheim monastery.
In the Middle Ages, her memorial day fell on the day of her canonization on May 1st, which is how the name Walpurgisnacht came about for the night before.
On the days before May 1st, bells were also rung, this was the so-called Walpern.
There is also the "Dance into May" as a celebratory component.
Spring onions to strawberries: ten types of vegetables that are ideal for raised beds
Since kohlrabi grows faster and less sprawling than other types of cabbage, it is suitable for raised beds.
© Alfred Hofer/Imago
Lamb's lettuce grows well in a raised bed with few weeds.
It is sown from August to October.
© Manfred Ruckszio/Imago
Nasturtium grows quickly and is also very decorative thanks to the (edible) flowers and leaves.
© Emer/Imago
You can still plant beetroot in raised beds until June.
© O. Diez/Imago
Bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) Because bush beans grow better in a preheated soil, a raised bed is ideal for cultivation.
© Emer/Imago
Tomatoes in a bowl Small tomato varieties are also suitable for raised beds.
However, you need protection from wind and rain.
© Photology2000/Imago
Spring onions (Allium cepa) From March to August you can sow spring onions directly in raised beds.
© J. Pfeiffer/Imago
Strawberries in the bedStrawberries are also suitable for the raised bed, because they are spared from greedy snails.
© Edwin Remsberg/Imago
Fennel bulbsFennel needs a lot of warmth until it is harvested, so growing it on a raised bed is ideal.
© Auremar/Imago
Mint in a raised bedHerbs such as mint, dill, chives or chervil find ideal conditions in a raised bed.
© Heike Rau/Imago
Irrespective of this, the night between April and May is also considered the night of the witches, who are then supposed to gather on the Blocksberg and other rocks to celebrate festivals.
The Witches' Sabbath is also associated with it.
Even if witches have a rather bad reputation, mainly thanks to the witch hunts, parallels can also be found in the customs at the end of April with the Celtic Beltane (Beltaine), which takes place on May 1st and marks the beginning of summer.
This festival also begins the night before.
In addition, Beltane also contains fire and parallels to the maypole, for example.
Walpurgis Night: customs around the first of May
All in all, numerous customs, myths and rituals merge into one another on Walpurgis Night.
But they all have in common that it is a celebration of joy and the rituals are intended to protect and promote fertility.
Because with May, summer is already within reach.
Some of the following customs still exist today:
Whip Cracking: Nightly whip cracking was intended to ward off demons.
This custom was intended to protect the house and yard from harm.
Maypole: The maypole is often interpreted as a symbol of fertility.
However, it is not set up on May 1st in all regions, sometimes not until Pentecost.
Fire: The fires were also supposed to serve to ward off evil.
According to the Norddeutscher Rundfunk
(NDR) , if you jump over the embers, you can
make a wish.
Pairs should hold hands while jumping.
According to NDR, it should also protect animals from diseases if they are driven through May fires.
Walpurgis Night: Plants and Rituals
If you want to celebrate Walpurgis Night a bit like a witch cliché, you have a number of beautiful rituals with plants to choose from.
Of course, they are not only suitable for this night.
For example, a wreath can be braided from ground ivy (Gundermann), a magical and medicinal plant that can also be found in the garden.
The wreath is said to help recognize evil.
And by the way, the plant tastes slightly minty and goes wonderfully with desserts.
Incense rituals are also a good idea for Walpurgis Night.
Here we explain how smoking works.
Of course you can also use special legendary plants such as the elder.
A great idea for this night is of course the well-known May punch or Woodruff punch.
We have instructions for the punch here for you.
And if you want to make sure that no witches come into the house (if they aren't already there), you can hang elder branches over the door, use buckthorn as a defense or keep witches away with birch twigs.
Of course, all this does not only apply to this one night.
According to the NDR, consecrated salt should also protect against the doorstep.
A cut lawn in front of the door should also help, because the witches then have to count the blades of grass before they are allowed into the house.
There are also some nice oracles.
If an unmarried girl shakes a fruit tree on Walpurgis Night and dogs bark, the future husband is said to be in that direction.
Overall, Walpurgis Night is said to be ideal for love oracles and fertility magic.
Protection from evil is also a big topic, in addition to the house and people, the animals should also be protected.
And the lunar calendar for April and May reveals how the moon is in the night on May.
List of rubrics: © Olaf Döring/Imago