Beltane heralds summer
The night of April 30/May 1 marks the old European solar holiday that was celebrated by the Celts as Beltane, and has been Christianized as Walpurgis Night. Saint Walburga was an eighth-century Anglo-Saxon princess related to Saint Boniface. She is especially popular in German-speaking nations, where she lived as a nun.
To symbolize the lengthening of the days into summer, large bonfires were traditionally lit on hilltops, a custom still followed in many parts of Northern Europe. The festival has folkloric connections to witches and is highlighted in Goethe’s Faust.
In Germany, the festival is called Hexennacht, (“Witches’ Night”), and children are warned about Blocksberg, when witches gather to welcome spring with revels in the Harz Mountains, home of the Brocken spectre, an optical illusion.
Across Northern Europe the holiday has similar connections to Halloween, with young people often playing pranks. In some places, eggs are given as gifts to young people in exchange for greenery used to decorate homes in welcome of the new season. The festival is also closely associated with students, who mark the occasion with songs and parades.Beltane is the eve of May Day, the traditional European workers’ holiday. French nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen will lead the annual parade to the statue of Saint Joan of Arc on the day.
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