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What is Valborg?
Walpurgis, Valborg (short for Valborgsmässoafton), or ‘the last of April’, is a traditional spring celebration in Sweden. For students, it’s a foretaste of summer. At dusk, bonfires are lit and people gather to listen to speeches and songs welcoming spring and a brighter future.
Why do Sweden celebrate Valborg?
Why is Valborg celebrated? Valborg is a very old tradition and used to be all about scaring away witches and bad spirits through lighting big fires (majbrasor – bonfires) for protection and making a lot of sounds to scare off evil forces. Nowadays, Valborg is all about celebrating that spring has finally arrived.
What is Valborg in Uppsala?
The 30th of April, Walpurgis Eve – referred to as ‘Sista april’ or ‘Valborg’ in Swedish – is the celebration of spring arriving in Sweden.
What do you eat on Walpurgisnacht?
Food and drink are essential to this celebration, and the Finns get down to the good stuff: alcohol and sugar. They typically drink sima, a locally-made sparkling mead, or other sparkling wine. Tippaleipä, Finnish funnel cake, is dusted with powdered sugar and goes along with the drinks.
Why is Walpurgis Night celebrated?
The origins of the holiday date back to pagan celebrations of fertility rites and the coming of spring. After the Norse were Christianized, the pagan celebration became combined with the legend of St. Walburga, an English-born nun who lived at Heidenheim monastery in Germany and later became the abbess there.
Is Beltane and Walpurgis the same?
Despite sharing the same date and many customs, there is a distinct difference between Walpurgis and Beltane. At its most basic, Beltane is primarily Gaelic and celebrated on May 1, whereas Walpurgis is Germanic and often celebrated the night before Beltane.
What is the meaning of Walpurgis?
1 : the eve of May Day on which witches are held to ride to an appointed rendezvous. 2 : something (such as an event or situation) having a nightmarish quality.
What is a Völva Viking?
A vǫlva or völva (Old Norse and Icelandic, respectively; plural forms vǫlur and völvur), sometimes anglicized vala; also spákona or spækona) is a female shaman and seer in Norse religion and a recurring motif in Norse mythology.
Who was the last witch burned in Scotland?
Janet Horne
Janet Horne was the last person in Britain to be tried and executed for witchcraft. In 1727 she and her daughter were arrested and jailed in Dornoch. Janet’s daughter suffered from a deformity in her hands and feet.
Is Walpurgisnacht Halloween?
Modern-day Walpurgisnacht in Germany Nowadays, Germans celebrate this holiday as a second Halloween by dressing up in costumes, making loud noises and playing pranks on each other. Some traditions from the medieval period still remain, such as hanging sprigs of greenery and leaving out Ankenschnitt for the hounds.
What is Valborg and how is it celebrated?
The Valborg tradition originated from Germany and was introduced in Sweden during the middle ages. Saint Walpurga, an abbess at a monastery during the 700s, was declared a saint on May 1 during the 1400s and has since then been celebrated on May 1 by the Germans, originally calling the holiday “Walpurgisnacht”.
What do students do in Valborg?
As in Finland, students are an important part Valborg. Most university students have a strawberry and champagne breakfast (not bad, Swedes!), and then enjoy the rest of the day in the park, barbecuing and drinking alcohol. The holiday is a marker of freedom from their semester, so it’s no wonder there’s so much drinking going on.
What is Valborgsmässoafton?
Tonight is Valborgsmässoafton, or simply, Valborg. Although it might not constitute the coldest night of the year, many of us will experience it this way.
Do Swedes know the origin of the word ‘Valborg’?
Many Swedes, although confident this is a truly Swedish event, would be unsure of the origin of Valborg if questioned.