On Saturday night, I went to Thale to celebrate Walpurgisnacht. I have included some history from an online source, below.
Short summary. During the time of militant Christianity and the choice of conversion or death, the Sachsen retreated behind the Sachsen walls, high in the Harz mountains where they could have a defensive position and also where it was safe to practice their pagan faith.
Every year on the Eve of Mayday or Walpurgisnacht, the German people come together for a big celebration beyond the Sachsen walls. It is an incredible time.
Note: Hex means Witch in German.
I had been wanting to go since I had first heard of it months prior, but was concerned with getting back from Thale that late at night. The busses and trains stop fairly early out here and I didn’t want to end up stranded. When I was unable to figure out a ride, I gave up the idea and planned to stay in town the weekend of the festival.
Saturday afternoon I decided to take a walk and get out of the house because I had spent all day Friday curled up in front of the computer working on my final projects. I decided to take in the view from the fancy hotel/castle on the hill and to have a cup of coffee in their restaurant (Herr Schirmer had recommended it.) So I went out and about.
I ordered my coffee and spoke a little with the guy working at the hotel and he began talking about the festival and he asked if I was going and I told him that I wasn’t because I hadn’t been able to arrange transportation and he told me to go to information in town and ask about the train. So I did. Turns out that they have special trains running all night until 3 AM. I was sincerely bummed.
I went home and Jutta was chatting me up and I told her that I had found out there was transportation to and from the Hexantanzplatz and we both laughed at the irony. I went back to working on homework.
About forty minutes later, Jutta bops into my room and tells me to put my shoes on (she never tells me to do anything) and she handed me $25 Euro and told me to piss off (one of two things she says she knows in English…) I argued with her about taking her money, but she just stood there laughing and saying Piss Off over and over. So I was going to Hexfest!!!
As I got closer and closer to the Bahnhof (train station) I started noticing signs
that all was not normal. People were dressed as witches and demons. Dogs had horns and children had brooms made of sticks and twigs. I got to the train station and boarded with all sorts of pagan creatures. There was even an alien. The train was packed.
When we got to Thale, I was surrounded. It was great. The sun was shining, birds were singing, witches were walking their demon dogs. It really was cool. With the cost of admission to the Hexantanzplatz, I got to choose my mode of transportation. I could go by very packed bus (which was pretty quick) or I could take the Seilbahn. I chose the Seilbahn. How cool to go up the side of a mountain by cable car surrounded by creatures of the night.
The line took an hour as each car only held 4 people. It was a good wait though. I listened to some great conversations but took part in none. I watched people walking to the vendors and getting delicious smelling bratwurst and thick dark beer. It was a good time. The kids were all excited and it just seemed very festive.
An interesting dichotomy is that the weekend prior we had spent the entire weekend celebrating the resurrection of Christ and I had been privy to the Hex brennen in Gernrode at the Osterfeuer. Funny that a week later we are celebrating the very pagan side of this people’s history. I love that they are all encompassing.
A lot of preparation went into this event too. It was a lot like any fair where there are food vendors, bee stalls, flashy black light necklaces and flashy devil horns (which I admit I would have bought if I had more money). My mom would love to here that one food vendor was serving Leber an Brot. And I walked by and it smelled just like every time she would cook liver. Smelled really good but the taste was repellant. I just don’t do liver cooked that way. Ew!
I got up the mountain on the Seilbahn and when I got off I could feel the bass of the music vibrating out of the ground. It wasn’t all the way dark yet, but it was close. If I thought about it, I got cold so I didn’t focus on it. I headed the rest of the way up to the dancing place. they had barricaded the entire site off so you had to go through entry points. At the entry points they not only checked your ticket, they checked you bag for water bottles or drinks (I was just finishing mine, and they made you leave them. They took the lid of mine so I couldn’t keep an empty bottle and fill it in a restroom. (I guess) It was just a way of assuring them that if I did get thirsty,I would have to spend a little money with the vendors who had paid to be there. I didn’t mind.
The first stage I saw was the main stage. They had a five man band playing songs I didn’t know but were evidently extremely popular with the locals. It reminded me a lot of what I think of when I envision a Vegas lounge act. There were 3 stages that I found. One had a metal band, one was the primary stage and one was more of a sound stage attached to a techno dance floor.
There was a big drum group playing right near the bonfire which was very cool. It was an intense feeling watching the flame and feeling how warm it was and it being the only light nearby while the drummers were beating out these awesome rhythms. It felt tribal.
I tried four different tiny bottles of liquor brewed in the Harz mountains. I am going to review them on here.
The first is the most popular. Schierker Feuerstein. Not my thing. I thought it had a horrible flavor. It cost 1 Euro. It did give me a nice warm feeling.
The second: Ritter Bodo, I had never heard of this one until Hexfest, but I have since seen it in the stores. It was really strong smelling and again, the flavor was hard to handle. It was one of those shots that sits in the stomach.
The third: Sarzer Hexen Piss was really good. It had a fruity smell and flavor. It wasn’t very strong. It hits as hard as green kool aid. it does taste good though. Really good.
The fourth: Hexen Bitter lives up to it’s name. It is very bitter. After it passes your tongue it is fine. It is smooth and gives a warm buzz (especially when it the prior hour you have tasted all the others.)
All said, on a summer day at the lake, Hexen Piss would be good. The others are slam them to get the drunk on drinks. At least in my world. I would prefer a good dark beer over all of them if I were to do it all over again.
I had three major events when I was up there. The first was the Techno dance floor. I danced, I took video, and I just had a good time. By myself. (I even got a great video of a chick all Hex-ed out jammin’ to some techno.) It was cool. The second was the drumming and the fire. It was such a cool experience to close my eyes and feel the drumming and hear the popping of the fire. Mind blowing.
The third and by far best part of the evening was the performance of Mephisto’s Reise. Goethe is a renowned literary genius the world over, but in Germany, he is pretty much a God. He is Germany’s Shakespeare. Goethe wrote Faust. The general story line of Faust is (this is my summary and might be slightly wrong) that Mephistopheles is the devil and he and God make a bet about a wizard/philosopher (Faust,) whom God says is a truly good soul but who is experiencing deep inner turmoil because with all his knowledge and even with his magic, he is unable to fully understand the deeper workings of the universe. Mephisto makes an accord with God, saying that he can win the soul of Faust by offering him the knowledge he seeks and God agrees, he tells Mephisto that Faust will prove to do the right thing. So, Mephisto pops in on Faust and makes him the offer of giving showing him the things he wants to know and in return Faust must surrender his soul. Faust agrees on one condition; the loss of his soul must happen in the moment of the greatest joy possible. I assume this is because he never wants to go back to a time of less joy. I haven’t finished reading it yet, and even if I had I wouldn’t put a spoiler in here. Needless to say, a good story for a witchy night. There is a part where he visits the Hexentanzplatz.
This performance was incredible. I can’t really even describe it. They had every single light on the mountain turned off so it was pitch black. There were times I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. When all the lights were completely gone, high powered laser lights were used that made the sky and trees light up like fireworks. I have several videos on my Facebook. The opening scene was a ballet piece and it was incredible. I was just in awe the entire time. It last about 45 minutes and I was spell bound the entire time. In between each speaking scene was a scene where a different kind of dance routine was performed, a strange horn blowing group performed, and flame dancers performed (SO COOL!!) I will never forget it.
Walpurgisnacht 2011 Mephisto’s Reise Flame dancers
I left soon after the final show, because after that, the young crowd started getting drunk and stupid and the other people were clearing out. I wanted to leave on a happy note rather than getting irritated or potentially vomited on. As I was walking down the hill towards the Seilbahn, fireworks started going off. It was like beautiful glitter made of light was falling in the trees. I have never seen fireworks through a forest, and it was incredible. It was a beautiful way to end a night.
Some history (from www.witchology.com):
The festival is named after Saint Walburga (known in Scandinavia as "Valborg"; alternative forms are "Walpurgis", "Wealdburg", or "Valderburger"), born in Wessex in 710 a niece of Saint Boniface and, according to legend, she was a daughter to the Saxon prince St. Richard. Together with her brothers she travelled to Württemberg, Germany where she became a nun and lived in the convent of Heidenheim, which was founded by her brother Wunibald. Walburga died on 25 February 779 and that day still carries her name in the Catholic calendar. However she was not made a saint until 1 May in the same year, and that day carries her name in the Swedish calendar. Historically the Walpurgisnacht is derived from Pagan spring customs, where the arrival of spring was celebrated with bonfires at night. Viking fertility celebrations took place around April 30 and due to Walburga being declared a saint at that time of year, her name became associated with the celebrations. Walburga was worshipped in the same way that Vikings had celebrated spring and as they spread throughout Europe, the two dates became mixed together and created the Walpurgis Night celebration.
Germany
Walpurgis Night (in German folklore) the night of April 30 (May Day's eve), when witches meet on the Brocken mountain and hold revels with their Gods...
Oxford Dictionary of Phrase & Fable
In Germany, Walpurgisnacht, the night from April 30 to May 1, is the night when allegedly the witches hold a large celebration on the Blocksberg and await the arrival of Spring.
Brocken the highest of the Harz Mountains of north central Germany. It is noted for the phenomenon of the Brocken spectre and for witches' revels which reputably took place there on Walpurgis night.
The Brocken Spectre is a magnified shadow of an observer, typically surrounded by rainbow-like bands, thrown onto a bank of cloud in high mountain areas when the sun is low. The phenomenon was first reported on the Brocken
