Hey, it's Walpurgisnacht!

Where my witches at? :rofl:

Definition of Walpurgis Night

1 : the eve of May Day on which witches are held to ride to an appointed rendezvous

It sounds kind of like Halloween?

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I love Halloween and Walpurgis Night sounds like fun!!! :jack_o_lantern: :black_cat:

But… I kept searching and found this…
It’s also known as Saint Walpurga’s Eve. Saint Walpurga was hailed by the Christians of Germany for battling “pest, rabies, and whooping cough, as well as against witchcraft”. Christians prayed to God through the intercession of Saint Walpurga in order to protect themselves from witchcraft, as Saint Walpurga was successful in converting the local populace to Christianity. In parts of Europe, people continue to light bonfires on Saint Walpurga’s Eve in order to ward off evil spirits and witches.

Wikipedia.org

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Oh, so NOT fun. I was worried that there was a more sinister side to this! :frowning:

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@mary25 Halloween has a darker side too! It doesn’t bother me though, Halloween is still my favorite holiday…

I consider myself a Christian :latin_cross: witch (Christian Mystic) BUT I do NOT accept all the dogma about witches. It seems silly, and it’s just a way to scare people into submission.

I’m so sorry if I spoiled Walpurgisnacht for you! As I was reading all the stuff on Wikipedia, I laughed :rofl: because I knew in my heart :heart: it was NOT true. It’s so sad that a lot of people do believe it!

Love :heart: and hugs :hugs:

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Woohoo! A bit late to the party here, but Walpurgis Night is very exciting to me- it really is like Halloween in April! :partying_face: :jack_o_lantern:

You’re very right, Marsha- but I actually think there’s a bit more to it than that. When Christianity spread across Europe, local pagan traditions that couldn’t be stamped out where adapted into Christianity. Here in Poland, there are numerous traditions that today revole around Saints but were once originally pagan- occasions like Smigus Dyngus (yes it really is called that :joy:) and Noc Kupaly (Litha)/St. John’s Eve were once pagan festivals that now involve the church.

So while some retellings and certain points of view around the holiday may shun “witches” (often referring to those who simply didn’t confirm to the strict rules of the church), it doesn’t negate the pagan origins of the festival.

And just like you say, some might say that the traditions of Walpurgis Night are the same as Halloween- which does indeed have a “darker side” of its own! Lighting up pumpkins and dressing in costumes were methods of warding off ghosts and spirits and staying safe, but Halloween has become a big party and fun celebration for witches- it’s certainly one of my favorite holidays! :partying_face: :jack_o_lantern:

As with many of the holidays that have survived over a long period of time- find the interpretation of the holiday that best resonates with you, and feel free to celebrate it in the way you best see fit! :tada::blush:

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@BryWisteria

I have been learning about the different pagan holidays that are also Christian holidays. I find this very fascinating. I found an article about Mary Magdalene, describing her as a Goddess! The first I’ve found for her, very interesting…

Thank you for all the info and the links. Great information about Poland, I really appreciate your help and I love learning new things. Thanks again!
:heart:

P.S. I don’t think I would like ‘Wet :ocean: Monday’ :rofl:

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Oh, it’s my pleasure, @marsha- I’m with you on this one! :heart: It really is interesting to explore holiday origins and see where pagan and Christain/other religious holidays overlap :grinning: :+1:

Mary Magdalene as a goddess sounds very interesting- I’ll have to look into that, thanks for the tip! :blush:

As for ‘Wet Monday’… you are 100% correct haha. It always seems to be a freezing cold morning- the worst time to have a water fight, if you ask me :sweat_drops: :gun: :joy:

Many blessings!

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Thanks for that info about Mary. When I was first entering the craft, I was drawn to a local religious spot with a statue of Mary. I never gave it much thought, just enjoyed the energy of being there. I am definitely going to do more research now.
Thanks again! Blessed Be!

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