Page "Walpurgis Night" Paragraph 22

In Sweden, Walpurgis Night ( or simply Valborg, Vappu in Finland ) has more or less become a de facto half holiday.

The forms of celebration in Sweden vary in different parts of the country and between different cities.

Sir James George Frazer in The Golden Bough writes, " The first of May is a great popular festival in the more midland and southern parts of Sweden.

On the eve of the festival, huge bonfires, which should be lighted by striking two flints together, blaze on all the hills and knolls.

" One of the main traditions in Sweden is to light large bonfires, a custom that is most firmly established in Svealand and may have begun in Uppland during the 18th century: " At Walpurgis ( Valborg ), farm animals were let out to graze, and ever since the early 18th century bonfires ( majbrasor, kasar ) have been lit to scare away predators.

" In Southern Sweden, an older tradition, no longer practised, was for the younger people to collect greenery and branches from the woods at twilight, these were used to adorn the houses of the village.

The expected reward for this task was to be paid in eggs.