#cologne
The tale of two cities according to Heiko and Stephi - Part 366
Today is May 1st - labour day. It’s a holiday here in Germany but I don’t want to write about this holiday, I want to write about the night before May 1st which is called “Walpurgisnacht” “Freinacht” or “Hexennacht” (“Night of the witches”).
There are many traditions surrounding this night before May 1st, and depending on where in Germany you live, they are very different.
In some German areas big bonfires are lit, called “Walpurgisfeuer” or “Hexenfeuer”. People dance around them and celebrate. In other areas maypoles are erected on village squares, and young men try to steal the maypole of the neighbouring village. Another tradition is simply to dance around these maypoles.
The second picture shows a “classic Bavarian” maypole in Munich. The first photo shows another maypole - a smaller one - which men place in the gardens of the women they admire to show their love. This is a tradition in North Rhine-Westphalia which is definitely way nicer than another tradition here in Munich and all over South Germany: Pranks.
“Walpurgisnacht” here is famous for pranks. People (usually teenagers) get out after dark to wrap cars with toilet paper, throw eggs on buildings, or spray shaving foam on windows, doorbells, or all sorts of handles. Sometimes, it’s more vandalism than a prank, and on the next morning, the morning of May 1st, whole areas are littered with toilet paper and soiled with shaving foam and eggs.
If there’s a tradition in your area surrounding the night before May 1st, we’d love to know. Please share it with us.