Walpurgisnacht (Half-way to Halloween!)

April 30th is Walpurgisnacht. In Germany it is a night that is supposed to be haunted by wandering ghosts, and roaming dark fae and goblins. Supposedly this is a time witches hold carnival-like fairs in forests where they buy, sell, and trade spells, potions, trinkets, and charms.

This date is mentioned in Goethe's Faust Parts 1 and 2 and Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker, where Dracula, himself, warns Harker that this is a dangerous night to be out.

A fluke snow storm on Walpurgisnacht is supposed to be the work of a vampire on the prowl. And if you see a fire with burning blue flame it means a treasure (belonging to a supernatural entity) is buried there.

Goblins and dark fae are supposed to be active on Walpurgisnacht.

May 1st is Beltane in Gaelic tradition. The Eve of Beltane is Walpurisnaucht the way Halloween is the Eve of All Saints Day. (Hallow being an archaic word for Saint or blessed). Beltane is celebrated by Druids, Wiccans, and many other varieties of Neo Paganism. Much like Samhain it's a bonfire festival.

As with Halloween, the veil between worlds is supposed to be thin this time of year. So yes, this is, essentially, spring Halloween.

A German equivalent to Samhain. Plenty of folk horror out there captures that energy, but few match the visual dread of a truly haunted forest.

I bet the goblins in those haunted forests know all the best spots for hoarding candy! 🎃 Imagine the loot!

The Black Forest in Germany is supposed to be very haunted and a lot of the classic fairy tales are set there, it's the real Enchanted forest. One of my maternal aunts did a DNA genealogy test and found she's more than half descended from The Black Forest region of Germany. So I guess I'm about a fourth.

That's awesome about your lineage! The Black Forest is steeped in folklore; they say if you listen closely on a quiet night, you might hear the whispers of old spirits sharing their secrets. 👻

I like that! About the whispered secrets.