Each year on April 30 students gather in parks and public spaces to celebrate the Walpurgis Eve. Though the true meaning is buried beneath beer cans and loud music.
Many people are gathered moments before the traditional bonfire is lit in Lund’s Stadspark on Walpurgis Eve. Photo: Andreas Faurskov Groes
By Andreas Faurskov Groes
For many students, Walpurgis night is simply about spending time with friends. This means for a lot of young people partying and drinking. The tradition has been going on for more centuries but didn’t start like a student celebration.
“Walpurgis Eve is actually a meeting of a number of different old traditions. It is the shift between the winter and summer. Furthermore, it was an important day in the peasant society, when you changed mayor and city council.” Says Mikael Norrby, visitor coordinator at Uppsala University.
“Then in the early 1800’s the students in Uppsala made it their own holiday and that’s how the student celebration began” Explains Mikael further.
At Lunds Stadspark thousands of people have gathered to celebrate the evening. One of them is Max Karlsson a student at Lunds university. “I actually don’t know why we celebrate this evening” Max says.
Another student at the event is David Carpenfelt. “I am actually not sure why we are celebrating this. For me the main activity is drinking with my friends” Says David.
Whether for spring, socializing or simply a good time, the night continues to bring people together. Although few students today can explain the origins of Walpurgis Eve, the tradition lives on through celebration.