Every year, on the last day of April, ‘Walpurgis Night’ (‘Valborgsmässoafton’ in Swedish, mostly called ‘Valborg’) welcomes Spring: bonfires are lit across the country, for a public event organised by local groups that encourage community spirit in the village or neighbourhood. On Walpurgis Night virtually every choir in the country is busy: bonfires are 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, to warm up with a nettle soup.
Walpurgis was a 8th century German saint, and it was Germans who 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, with trick or treat, 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, when 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) have been lit to keep witches and evil spirits away, and (a far more practical reason) to scare away predators (people also fired guns, shook cowbells, yelled and screamed to keep the predators at bay). In some parts of the country, young people went round singing May songs in return for gifts of food: those who gave them nothing were treated to a ‘nasty’ ditty. Elsewhere, people visited spas to drink the health-giving water and to amuse themselves. Valborg is celebrated all over Sweden, here is a selection of events from north to south:
Stockholm: Skansen, a historical open-air museum in Stockholm, holds the largest Walpurgis celebrations in Sweden. You can expect a traditional evening with choral singing, a spring speech, a bonfire and fantastic views over Stockholm.
Gothenburg, West Sweden: Students gather in the park Trädgårdsföreningen to listen to live music. A large caravan called Cortègen, with entertaining self-made vehicles, has been going through the city on Walpurgis night every year since 1909.
Lund, Skåne: In the university town of Lund, there are several celebrations. The largest one, with bonfires, choral singing and spring speeches, takes place in the city park, Stadsparken.
‘Walpurgis Eve’ is on 30 April and ‘May Day’ is on 1 May: ‘May Day’ has been a public holiday in Sweden since 1939, and many choose to spend the day at a demonstration for workers’ rights.
Read more on Sweden.se and Visitsweden.com
