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La tradición celta señala esta fecha como de transición del invierno a la primavera, la
festividad de Beltane en honor a Belenos, dios del fuego, prendiendo hogueras para
renovar con el humo de éstas los pueblos y a sus habitantes. Esta festividad, al igual que
todas las demás, fue luego erradicada con la llegada del Cristianismo, en su cruzada por
eliminar cualquier otro tipo de creencia que no fuera la suya, difundiendo ideas como
que la noche del Walpurgis es la celebración del cumpleaños de Satanás[cita requerida].
En esta época de transición equinoccial según la leyenda es costumbre que se junten las
brujas en las inmediaciones de la sierra del Harz (en concreto en su cima más alta, el
Blocksberg) y allí hacer sus reuniones. El origen de la festividad procede de antiguas
celebraciones paganas celtas, posiblemente de la época de los legendarios vikingos,
adorando e invocando a los dioses de la fertilidad la noche del 30 de abril, mezclándose
esta celebración nórdica con el Beltane celta.
There's a penetrating chill in the wind. The bright moon rises behind the shivering,
nearly naked trees. A profound sense of foreboding permeates the darkness. This is the
night, after all, when witches ride their broomsticks through the sky, and the natural
world is forced to confront the powers of the supernatural.
No, it isn't October 31 and this is not Halloween. It's April 30 and it's Walpurgis Night.
Like Halloween, Walpurgis has its roots in ancient pagan customs, superstitions and
festivals. At this time of year, the Vikings participated in a ritual that they hoped would
hasten the arrival of Spring weather and ensure fertility for their crops and livestock.
They would light huge bonfires in hopes of scaring away evil spirits.
But the name “Walpurgis” comes from a very different source. In the 8th Century, a
woman named Valborg (other iterations of the name include Walpurgis, Wealdburg and
Valderburger) founded the Catholic convent of Heidenheim in Wurtemburg, Germany.
She herself later became a nun and was known for speaking out against witchcraft and
sorcery. She was canonized a saint on May 1, 779. Since the celebration of her
sainthood and the old Viking festival occurred around the same time, over the years the
festivals and traditions intermingled until the hybrid pagan-Catholic celebration became
known as Valborgsmässoafton or Walpurgisnacht – Walpurgis Night.
Although not widely known in the US, this May-Eve night shares many of the traditions
of Halloween and is, in fact, directly opposite Halloween on the calendar.
According to the ancient legends, this night was the last chance for witches and their
nefarious cohorts to stir up trouble before Spring reawakened the land. They were said
to congregate on Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains – a tradition that
comes from Goethe's Faust. In the story, the demon Mephistopheles brings Faust to
Brocken to consort with the coven of witches: