Walpurgis night

The night of April 30th. Witches are riding on their broomes to the Blocksberg (Brocken, Harz), large fires light up, we get together. The walpurgis night is a commemoration day for the Holy Walburga, around 700 she was one of the most  powerful women in Europe, she counts as a patroness against diseases. The dance around the fire and the walk between two fires is supposed to be cleansing and to keep epidemics away. Nowadays the walpurgis night gets equated with the ‘Dance into May’ and especially the public holiday afterwards (May the First) is happily used.