Spring and summer are magical times of the year and Walpurgis Night and Noaptea Sânzienelor, as ancient celebrations, capture the essence of these seasons. Both festivals are rich in tradition, legends, and folklore, and are celebrated in different parts of the world, throughout Northern & Central Europe and Romania, respectively.
Walpurgis Night, Dancing Around the Bonfire in Spring
The sun began to set on Walpurgis Night, the chill in the breeze softened by the sweet fragrance of blossoms. Past the song of crickets and bugs freshly emerged from winter hibernation, some competing with the calls of birds back from winter migration, I felt another kind of excitement building in the air. On I went, drawn to it. By now the sky was dark with a promise of starlight. The air threw its crisp cloak around me and I felt the savage scent of bonfires that were already starting to blaze in the distance. The flame crackled like an old chant, speaking to me, to us.
I made my way to the gathering spot following a path of soft moss. People streamed in from all directions, families with young children, couples holding hands, and gangs laughing and chatting, bringing guitars and lutes, some even dressed in embellished costumes. The flames were chanting by now, laughing louder with each step I took. The bonfire, the heart of the Walpurgis Night, stood proud. I could feel its fever on my cheeks, on my exposed hands, its heat penetrating me to the core. Flames danced and crackled, sending sparks into the sky, competing with the stars for attention. Yet they already had it, all. People were gathered around, talking and laughing, a few already dancing to the music. I was there, yet I was above as well, a spark in the flames, spinning around with the human ring.
The aroma of charred sausages and baked potatoes teased my nostrils. I was by the food stalls in the blink of an eye. The sausages were juicy and flavorful underneath a crisp skin, the potatoes crispy in their salty goodness. Heat warming my hands, filling me from inside out. The night’s chill around me, the flames beckoning me, I took my mug of hot, spicy ale and returned to the heart of the party. The bonfire.
As the night wore on the bonfire grew brighter, always one step ahead of the party, one note above the folks’ music. The dance grew in strength, as if the dancers, too, were a part of the flames rising from the blaze. As if their movements alone kept the fire going. I found myself swept up in the excitement. We danced in circles around the fire, some daring the kindles (or maybe themselves) and jumping over them, waving our arms in the air. I felt a sense of freedom and abandon, my worries melting away in the heat of the fire, carried towards the heaven with the last sparks, becoming immortal stars.
When dawn blushed the horizon with a kiss I felt a sense of satisfaction and joy. I had spent the night celebrating with friends and strangers alike, and had felt a sense of connection and belonging that I had never experienced before. The bonfire had burned away the darkness of the night, and I felt renewed and reinvigorated. I knew that I would carry the memories of this Walpurgis Night celebration with me for a long time to come.
Saint Walpurga and the Christianisation of a Pagan Festival
Walpurgis Night is a pagan holiday that is celebrated on the night of April 30th in Northern and Central Europe. The holiday is named after Saint Walpurga, an English missionary who lived in Germany during the 8th century. Saint Walpurga was believed to have healed the sick and performed miracles, and her feast day was celebrated on May 1st.
Yet the festival has its roots in pagan beliefs and is closely linked with the pagan festival of Beltane, held on the 1st of May. Thus, Walpurgis Night it is associated with the strength of spring, fertility, and the sure ending of Winter, while Beltane, marking the midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice, celebrates the peak of Spring and the beginning of Summer.
Walpurgis Night is believed to be the time when witches gather to hold a revelry on the Brocken, the highest peak of the Harz Mountains. People celebrate Walpurgis Night by lighting bonfires, dancing, and singing. The holiday is also associated with witches and evil spirits, and people often wear costumes and masks to ward off any malevolent forces.
After sunset burning wheels roll down the hill:life’s cycle. The peak of the hill symbolizes birth; the rolling down the hill is the life. The wreaths will smoke in the valley, burning out, in death. #folklorethursday #Im4Ro #Sanziene Eve #Midsommar #Romania 📷I💕Maramures pic.twitter.com/oWJb1Ouzj3
— 💙💛Patricia Furstenberg, Author is hard at work🖋 (@PatFurstenberg) June 23, 2022
Flower Wreaths and Merriment, Modern Celebrations on Noaptea Sânzienelor, in Summer
After a day when the sun’s been at its highest, a constant in the sky, I felt light in the breezy night, grateful for the cool, balmy air so ripe with eager summer blooms, wild roses and lavender. My feet were dancing along the path, the leaves flickering like candle-lights under the silvery moon, the brightest moon. Drunk on the scent of freshly cut grass and on the strength of the plants around me was I and, with only the calls of bats for company, making my way to the celebration of Noaptea de Sânziene.
I emerged into the clearing and was greeted by the sight of people dressed in white, some crowned with floral wreaths, others wearing them around their neck, or on their arm. I recognize some of the lads who, just the night before, on Sânziene Eve, have rolled the giant wheels made of hazelnut branches, but set alight! They rolled them down the hills, mimicking the sun’s run on the sky. Rolled them and chased after them, calling to the girls they fancy. A purifying ritual for earth, so the Sun won’t get mad on the village and bring drought or bad weather that will kill the crops.
Quiet were all tonight, so silent that I could hear the hush of steps through the grass and soft whisper, here and there, as we made our way to the river. Its body snaked silvery ahead, dipping behind shrubs, popping over rocks, whooshing in ancient tongues.
The moon above, the nature hugging its light, below. While on the water floated more flower garlands, peacefully asleep.
Each one of us bowed and offered our garlands to the flowing water, whispering prayers and wishes. Young and old. The maidens would have bathed naked in the pure, morning dew today, the one found in places where no one has set foot, to be as life-giving as the sun. The older women would have washed their hands and faces in it, to stay healthy. I did the same… Tonight, as my flower wreath left my hand I felt a sense of calm and serenity, as if the act of offering the garland had released some of my worries and fears. As my wish left my lips I wiped my wet fingers over my flushed cheeks.
“Sanziana, chosen flower,
Translated from Romanian, a rhyme for Maidens on Sanziene Day.
To be bride give me the power.”
After the gifting of the garlands the atmosphere lightened. Some of us started to sing and dance, happy to see one another again, and the sound of music filled the air. There was a sense of joy and celebration as we let go of past worries and embraced the moment.
The night danced away, the moon embraced the stars overhead and their sisters floating on the river, and I felt a sense of connection to the natural world around me. The river flowed gently beside us, and the trees swayed in the breeze. The one-night blooms of Sanziene flowers (Lady’s bedstraw) around us and the garlands afloat seemed to merge with the world around creating a sense of harmony and oneness.
“Set Sun, rise Moon,
From Romanian folklore. The flower is Lady’s Bedstraw, most fragrant and powerful on Sanziene Night
Sanzienele to cool,
So their flower will bloom,
Yellow and perfumed,
Golden and perfect,
Girls to gather it
Their crowns to adorn with it.”
When the horizon began to brighten I felt regenerated and hopeful. The act of offering the flower garland to the river had brought peace and balance to my soul, and I knew that I would carry that feeling with me for a long time to come. The celebration of Noaptea de Sânziene had reminded me of the beauty and power of nature, and the importance of acknowledging and honoring it.
The Mythology and Dacian Roots of Noaptea Sânzienelor
Noaptea Sânzienelor, Dragaica or The Night of the Fairies is a traditional Romanian celebration that takes place on the night of June 24th, during the Summer Solstice. The holiday is named after the “Sânziene,” fairies or goddesses of nature and fertility in Romanian mythology. The Son-Goddesses, the Priestesses.
The history of Noaptea Sânzienelor can be traced back to ancient Dacian culture, which predated the Roman Empire in the region. The pagan Dacians believed that the summer solstice was a time when the sun was at its most powerful and that the Sânziene, the fairies or goddesses of nature, would leave their realm of gold, dance in the meadows weaving wreaths of flowers and casting spells of fertility and abundance such as intensifying the scent of flowers and increase the healing power of herbs.
Bonfires, Dancing, and Wildflowers: Unique Traditions of Walpurgis Night and Noaptea Sânzienelor Today
One of the most popular traditions associated with Walpurgis Night is the lighting of bonfires. People gather around the bonfires to sing and dance, and the flames are said to ward off evil spirits. In some parts of Germany, people also make “witches’ brooms” out of twigs and straw and hang them outside their homes to keep witches away. The participants often wear costumes and masks to ward off any malevolent forces.
It is said that at the time of Beltane the magic of fairies is at its strongest, thus the veil between the worlds is the thinnest… Iron, salt or yellow flowers places on the doorstep will protect the home.
People celebrate “Noaptea Sânzienelor” by gathering wildflowers, making wreaths, feasting, singing and dancing around bonfires (a symbol of the power of the sun) for good luck. Young women braid their hair and wear the wreaths on their heads, while young men wear them on their arms. The holiday is also associated with love and marriage, young women traditionally placing their wreaths on the water hoping to be blessed with a husband, and soon. In some parts of Romania people also release onto streams small boats made of flowers, holding candles, symbolizing the hope for love and good fortune.
On Sanziene Night the skies’ portal is said to open so two worlds, immortal heaven and mortal earth, communicate.
And for that one night, they waited. And prayed. And hoped, afraid of their wish. That it will come true. And then? On Sanziene Night the skies' #portal was said to open so two worlds, immortal heaven and mortal earth, will communicate.#FairyTaleTuesday #FairyTaleFlash #Im4Ro pic.twitter.com/eCWuYPmvAV
— 💙💛Patricia Furstenberg, Author is hard at work🖋 (@PatFurstenberg) October 4, 2022
Exploring Cultural Traditions, Keeping Ancient Festivals Alive
Both “Walpurgis Night” and “Noaptea Sânzienelor” are pagan festivals rooted in ancient traditions and beliefs that date back to pre-Christian times. They are associated with the change of seasons and fertility, but they have different origins and cultural traditions.
“Walpurgis Night” is celebrated on April 30th in Northern and Central Europe and is associated with is associated with Saint Walpurga, with the arrival of spring and the driving away of the darkness and of winter, but also with witches and evil spirits.
“Noaptea Sânzienelor” is celebrated on June 24th in Romania and is associated with the summer solstice, the powers of the sun (at its height on the sky at that specific day), with fairies, nature, and love.
Despite their differences, Walpurgis Night and Noaptea Sânzienelor share a common thread of celebrating nature and the power of the unseen. Both festivals are a time to embrace the magic of nature and to honor the spirits and fairies that dwell within it. Whether you’re dancing around a bonfire on Walpurgis Night to ward off evil spirits or you’re weaving flower wreaths on Noaptea Sânzienelor and dance around fires, you are offered a glimpse into a world of ancient traditions, legends, and folklore. Grab it. They are a testament to the enduring power of human connection to the natural world.
HI Patricia, an interesting post packed with information. I like the idea of the community gathering around a bonfire to celebrate this ancient festival.
Yes, it is a lovely idea. Thank you for joining me in these festivities, Roberta.
I was wondering what is the difference between the two celebrations, being familiar with Noaptea de Sânziene 🙂 I had fun comparing the two.
Charred sausages and a bonfire are a big drawing card for these events. An interesting post, thank you, Patricia
So true 🙂
Just yesterday we were reminiscing the magical winter holiday we spent in Romania. The food consumed at the Christmas Fair was at the top of the list!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Michael.