regional customs
Walpurgis Night in the Harz with costumes and live music
Two witches in Wernigerode. photo
© Matthias Bein/dpa
Walpurgnisnacht is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Harz: every year thousands celebrate in several cities in Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. The festival has a long tradition.
With live music and costumes, the people of the Harz have the Celebrated Walpurgis Night. Many came early Tuesday evening dressed as witches or devils, as a dpa photographer observed in Braunlage in Lower Saxony. There was a parade with decorated tractors. Children sat on broomstick trailers, witches and devils danced in the street. A fireworks display was also planned.
According to the police in Halberstadt, Walpurgis Night in Saxony-Anhalt started off peacefully. A spokeswoman for the police in Goslar, Lower Saxony, made a similar statement. The police were initially unable to name the number of participants.
In the Lower Saxony part of the Harz, the towns of Braunlage, St. Andreasberg, Bad Grund and Hahnenklee are among the strongholds for the festivals surrounding Walpurgis Night. Numerous events are also planned in Saxony-Anhalt, for example in Schierke.
Goethe’s “Faust”
Walpurgis Night is said to be named after St. Walburga. 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 known as Blocksberg, on the night of May 1st to dance and celebrate with the devil. In addition, winter is driven out with a lot of shouting and spring is welcomed. Walpurgis Night is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Harz.