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Glite Dictionary
Walpurgis Night

Walpurgis Night

1 9.9
A night on April 30 in parts of Europe when people light bonfires and celebrate, often linked to witch stories
  • noun
  • Literature
translation icon : Noche de Walpurgis
  • Walpurgis Night.

Examples

  • It is Walpurgis Night, the night of evil.

    Dracula (1931)

  • And as for Tania she shouldn't have gone out on Walpurgis Night.

    Dracula 3D (2012)

  • Walpurgis Night.

    Dracula (1931)

  • Many people gather around bonfires to celebrate Walpurgis Night on April 30th.

  • Festivals and parties are common during Walpurgis Night, marking the eve of May Day.

  • Traditionally, Walpurgis Night is believed to be a time when witches gather and celebrate.

Surface Forms

Walpurgis Night singular

Morphology

Walpurgis + night

The compound pairs a culturally specific proper name 'Walpurgis' (which carries no meaning for most learners) with the generic noun 'night', so even knowing both words a B1 learner could only infer it is some night but not that it denotes a specific festival with bonfires and witch-related folklore. The holiday meaning is cultural and encyclopedic rather than compositional, making the overall sense unpredictable from the constituents alone.

Etymology

Walpurgis Night is named after Saint Walpurgis, a nun from long ago whose feast day is on May 1, and one popular story says the eve of her feast mixed with old spring 'bonfires' and tales of 'witches' meeting. That's why today Walpurgis Night is a night of outdoor celebrations, big fires and stories about witches.