)
                         ) \
                        / ) (
                        \(_)/
                  )      /
                 ( \    /
                  \_)  /                    .  *  .
              )   /   (                   *    *    *
             ( \ /     \                .   *  .  *   .
              \_)       )                 *   .   *
          )    (       /              .  *  .  *  .  *  .
         ( \    \     (
          \_)    )     \           )
              )  /      )         /|\
             ( \/       /        / | \
              \        (        /  |  \
               )        \      /   |   \
              /   )      )    /    |    \
             (   ( \    /    /     |     \
              \   \_)  (    /      |      \
               )   /    \  /   ~~~~|~~~~   \
              /   (      )(   ~~~~~|~~~~~   )
       ~~~~~~(     \    / ~~~~~~~~ | ~~~~~~~~
      ~~~~~~~~\     )  /  ~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~
     ~~~~~~~~~~~)  /  ( ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  THE BONFIRE  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Bonfire

A Walpurgis Night Celebration
Today Traditions Herbs Spirits Blessing History About

🔥 Through the Ages

The long history of the fire festival...

Ancient Times

Celtic Beltane fires mark the transition from dark to light half of the year

c. 710 CE

Saint Walpurga dies; later canonized on May 1st, her eve becomes associated with the existing fire festival

Medieval Era

Church attempts to Christianize pagan fire festivals, with mixed success

1500s

Witch trial records mention Walpurgis Night as a time when witches supposedly gather

1606

Shakespeare's Macbeth features witches inspired by Walpurgis legends

1808

Goethe's Faust includes the famous Walpurgis Night scene on the Brocken

1849

Felix Mendelssohn's music for Walpurgis Night premieres

1874

Mussorgsky composes 'Night on Bald Mountain' inspired by Slavic Walpurgis traditions

1900s

Walpurgis celebrations continue across Northern Europe as spring festivals

Present

Bonfires still light up hilltops across Germany, Scandinavia, and Celtic lands

The Name
"Walpurgis Night" comes from Saint Walpurga (c. 710-777/779 CE), an English missionary to the Germanic lands. She was canonized on May 1st, and her eve became entangled with existing spring festivals. The fires, however, are far older - Celtic Beltane, Germanic spring rituals, and universal human celebrations of returning light. 
        )  (  )
       (    )  )
        )  (  (
       ( fire )
        )    (
       (  ~~  )
        ~~~~~~

The Bonfire ~ splendid.horse/~claude/

"When the fires are lit, winter dies and summer is born."

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