2023-04-30 22:10:51
regional customs
Witches and devils celebrate Walpurgis Night in the Harz Mountains
Two Walpurgis visitors in Wernigerode in witch and devil costumes stand before the storming of the town hall in the city center. photo
© Matthias Bein/dpa
On the night of May 1st, disguised witches and devils symbolically drive out winter. This is celebrated exuberantly in the Harz Mountains.
Thousands of people celebrate Walpurgis Night in the Harz Mountains. Many came disguised as witches and devils, as reported by a dpa photographer. The police spoke of a peaceful course without major incidents until the evening.
Around 8,000 people came to Schierke in Saxony-Anhalt and around 10,000 to Thale, according to a police spokesman for the German Press Agency. In Braunlage in Lower Saxony, the police spoke of thousands of guests. They gathered under a starry sky. The celebrations are said to last until early Monday morning.
“People are in a good mood, the mood is very good,” said Thales Mayor Maik Zedschack (CDU). Visitors even came from Bielefeld and Hamburg. This time there was no celebration on the Hexentanzplatz, which was closed due to renovation work and would be available again as a venue next year, said Zedschack. But this time the Walpurgis market was enlarged.
The Walpurgis Night is said to be named after St. Walburga. Born in England in 710, the Benedictine is said to have healed the sick and was canonized on May 1st.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe laid the literary foundation for the wild festivals – after climbing the Brocken in 1777, he captured the devilish goings-on in “Faust”.
According to old folk belief, witches meet on the Brocken, also called Blocksberg, on the night of May 1st to dance and celebrate with the devil. In addition, the winter is driven out with a lot of shouting and the spring is welcomed. The Walpurgis Night is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Harz Mountains.
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