Walpurgisnacht

The Walpurgisnacht is celebrated on the 30th of April in Germany.  According to tradition, on this night witches from throughout the country fly to the Blocksberg for their annual gathering.

In many places bonfires are lit, and it is even a tradition in some parts for people to jump over it!

Other traditions are comparable to those at Halloween.  Since the 1990s the latter has become more popular in Germany, making the Walpurgisnacht less well-known, especially amongst foreigners.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download a transcript

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

 

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About Graham

Graham Tappenden is a British ex-pat who first came to Germany as a placement student in 1993, returning in 1995 to live there permanently. He has been writing for AllThingsGerman.net since 2006. When not writing blog posts or freelancing for the Oberurseler Woche and other publications he works as a self-employed IT consultant and online community manager. In 2016 he gained German citizenship.

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