Walpurgis Night – 30 April
Walpurgis Night, on 30 April, is when Sweden greets spring with songs and bonfires.
Walpurgis Night – Valborg in Swedish – is a kick-off for spring. On the last day of April, people sing songs of spring and bonfires are lit across the country.
The Walpurgis celebrations are not a family occasion but rather a public event. Local groups often take responsibility for organising them to encourage community spirit in the village or neighbourhood.
The bonfires are usually lit at dusk, and people gather to experience that rosy red glow in the face from the heat of the fire and the freezing cold at the back. Once the fire dies, many people move on to pubs and restaurants or to friends’ parties.
Students and choirs
Choral singing is a popular pastime in Sweden, and on Walpurgis Night virtually every choir in the country is busy. Songs to welcome spring, to the budding greenery and to a brighter future are on their repertoire this evening.
Among the many joining in on the singing are university students, wearing their characteristic student cap, normally white with a black peak, for the occasion.
For upper secondary school students in their final year, Walpurgis is also an occasion to celebrate that they are about to graduate.
An academic Walpurgis tradition is that many students – in this case from Uppsala University – gather and put on their student caps, normally a white cap with a black peak. Photo: QIMAGE
Hello spring! Walpurgis is the perfect time to burn last year's dry branches. Photo: Aline Lessner/imagebank.sweden.se
Early spring in the south of Sweden. Photo: Thomas Adolfsén/Scandinav Bildbyrå/imagebank.sweden.se
An academic Walpurgis tradition is that many students – in this case from Uppsala University – gather and put on their student caps, normally a white cap with a black peak. Photo: QIMAGE
Hello spring! Walpurgis is the perfect time to burn last year's dry branches. Photo: Aline Lessner/imagebank.sweden.se
Early spring in the south of Sweden. Photo: Thomas Adolfsén/Scandinav Bildbyrå/imagebank.sweden.se
An academic Walpurgis tradition is that many students – in this case from Uppsala University – gather and put on their student caps, normally a white cap with a black peak. Photo: QIMAGE
Hello spring! Walpurgis is the perfect time to burn last year's dry branches. Photo: Aline Lessner/imagebank.sweden.se
Early spring in the south of Sweden. Photo: Thomas Adolfsén/Scandinav Bildbyrå/imagebank.sweden.se
1 May – a public holiday in Sweden too
Walpurgis Night is followed by 1 May − a public holiday in Sweden, like many other countries. On this traditional workers’ day, many Swedish streets are filled with May Day demonstrations, meetings and speeches.
The origins behind Swedish Walpurgis celebrations
Walpurgis was a saint who lived in Germany in the 8th century, and it was Germans who initially brought the Walpurgis Night tradition to Sweden in the Middle Ages.
Back then, the administrative year ended on 30 April. So it was very apt that this was a day of festivity among the merchants and craftsmen of the town, going door to door singing for gifts, dancing and singing in preparation for the forthcoming celebration of spring.
Among farmers and peasants, it was an important day in the calendar as the annual village meeting was held. A new alderman was chosen and eggs and schnapps were served as refreshments.
It was also at Walpurgis that farm animals were let out to graze. Ever since the early 1700s bonfires (majbrasor, kasar) had been lit to scare away predators. People also fired guns, shook cowbells or yelled and screamed to keep the predators at bay.
Back then, in some parts of the country, young people also went round singing May songs in return for gifts of food on Walpurgis Night.
