By Eben van Tonder, 30 April 25

Introduction

Saint Walpurga and her uncle, Saint Boniface, stand at a unique intersection in European religious and cultural history. As Anglo-Saxon missionaries to the Germanic peoples, their work catalysed a profound spiritual transformation across the regions of Bavaria, Thuringia, and Franconia. But beyond the ecclesiastical reforms and monastic foundations lies a festival—Walpurgisnacht—whose roots reach deep into pre-Christian seasonal rites and whose name survives through a saintly woman whose story was anything but symbolic. This article explores Walpurga’s life, her miracles, her connection to Boniface, and how her memory became embedded in Central European spring customs, drawing on both academic sources and contemporary ethnographic insights, including those of Christa Berger (Der Steirische Brauch).

Saint Walpurga: Life, Mission, and Miracles

Born c. 710 in Devonshire, England, Walpurga was the daughter of Saint Richard the Pilgrim, who died en route to Jerusalem and was venerated locally in Lucca, Italy (Farmer, 1997). Her education took place at the Benedictine double monastery in Wimborne, Dorset, where she was trained in scripture, letters, and the medicinal arts—a rare education for a woman of her time. Christa Berger notes that Walpurga’s formation included the study of local herbs and the preparation of ointments and tinctures, which she later employed during her missionary work in Germany. These practices, Berger suggests, link Walpurga to the early medieval roots of European pharmacology and women’s healing traditions (Berger, 2024).

In 748, she answered the call of her uncle, Saint Boniface, who sought Anglo-Saxon religious women to assist in the Christianisation of Germany. She joined Saint Lioba and others in the mission. Walpurga eventually became abbess of the double monastery at Heidenheim, succeeding her brother Wunibald. There she governed both monks and nuns, a testament to the authority and theological literacy of female religious in the early medieval church (Lawrence, 2001).

Miracles and Veneration

Walpurga’s sanctity was affirmed in both her lifetime and posthumously. According to early hagiographical sources, during her voyage to the continent, a violent storm threatened to capsize the ship. Walpurga, moved by compassion, prayed fervently on deck, and the seas were calmed. Her intercession was interpreted as divine confirmation of her mission (Acta Sanctorum, May I).

After her death in 779, her relics were translated to Eichstätt in 870. From her tomb began to exude a clear oil, believed to have healing properties. This phenomenon, called “Walburga’s oil,” became central to her cult and pilgrimage tradition. The oil continues to be collected at the Church of St. Walburga in Eichstätt to this day.

Saint Boniface: The Apostle of the Germans

Boniface (c. 675–754), born Wynfrith in Wessex, was a Benedictine monk with a profound zeal for missionary work. Commissioned by Pope Gregory II in 719, he set out to convert the Germanic tribes and reform the local Frankish church structures. His reforms included the destruction of pagan shrines, the establishment of bishoprics, and the recruitment of monastic women for teaching and healing roles (Talbot, 1954).

His vision of Christianity was one of disciplined liturgy, Roman orthodoxy, and sacramental order. Walpurga, as a missionary abbess, was a living embodiment of this vision. Boniface was martyred in Frisia in 754 while preparing converts for confirmation.

Interconnected Missions and Familial Bonds

The missionary endeavors of Walburga and Boniface were deeply intertwined, not only through their familial relationship but also through their shared commitment to the Christianization of Germany. Boniface’s strategic inclusion of women in missionary work was groundbreaking. In 748, he requested Abbess Tetta of Wimborne to send nuns to assist in the mission. Walpurga, along with others like Saint Lioba, answered this call, playing crucial roles in establishing monastic communities and educating the local populace (Lawrence, 2001).

Christa Berger elaborates that Boniface viewed the role of women like Walpurga not only as educators and abbesses, but also as bearers of healing knowledge that could appeal to and displace the roles traditionally held by pagan priestesses. This gave the mission a practical and symbolic advantage in regions where women were traditionally seen as custodians of sacred rites and herbal lore (Berger, 2024).

Walpurgisnacht: From Pagan Rites and Christian Memory

The celebration of Walpurgisnacht on the night of April 30 has deep pagan origins. In Alpine and Central European folklore, this date marked the transition into summer and was associated with fertility rites, the warding off of evil spirits, and fire festivals. Bonfires lit on hilltops across the Alps and the Harz Mountains were thought to purify the land and repel witches, who were believed to gather on mountaintops, particularly the Brocken (Lindow, 2002).

With the Christianisation of these regions, the Church often repurposed such festivals. The canonisation of Walpurga on May 1st provided an opportunity to align a female saint associated with healing and spiritual authority to a liminal seasonal moment. Thus, Walpurgisnacht became both a cultural echo of pre-Christian rites and a feast of a powerful Christian woman invoked against witchcraft, illness, and misfortune.

Contemporary Ethnography: Christa Berger and the Styrian Tradition

In her article “Walpurgisnacht und Maibaum” (Der Steirische Brauch), Christa Berger describes the continued celebration of Walpurgisnacht in Austria, particularly the ceremonial erection of the Maibaum (Maypole) and the lighting of protective fires. She notes that in rural Styria, local communities maintain the dual significance of the date: it marks both the folkloric cleansing of the land and the veneration of Walpurga, whose image is sometimes carried in procession.

Berger’s work highlights how traditional customs have never fully relinquished their symbolic ambiguity. The Maypole, originally a fertility symbol, now often stands near chapels or churches, its ribbons both festive and devotional. She writes:

“Man spürt die Spannung zwischen dem alten Brauch und der christlichen Ordnung, und doch gehören sie beide zum Dorfleben” [“One feels the tension between the old custom and Christian order, and yet both belong to village life”] (Berger, 2024).

She also recounts oral traditions linking Walpurga to mountain herbs—particularly arnica and valerian—which villagers gather during the spring celebrations and associate with her healing powers. These rituals, passed down through generations, maintain the memory of Walpurga as both saint and wise woman.

Walpurgisnacht (April 30) – The Night of Fire and Folk Rituals

On the evening of April 30th, villagers across Bavaria, Styria, Carinthia, and the Harz Mountains traditionally gather around bonfires. This night, once associated with protecting cattle and households from witches, is also rich in culinary traditions.

Typical foods eaten on Walpurgisnacht include

Heurigenbrot – a thick slice of sourdough topped with lard, garlic, herbs, or cured meats, often consumed at the fire.

Hexensuppe (witches’ soup) – a peasant-style broth made from nettles, leeks, wild garlic (Bärlauch), and leftover bones, associated with purification.

Gebrannte Mandeln (roasted almonds) and dark beer are also staples at village gatherings.

In some Alpine areas, sausage fat or pork drippings are used to anoint doorways or tools—echoes of both pagan protection and the Eucharistic anointing.

May 1st – The Feast of Saint Walpurga

May Day is marked by morning processions, the raising of the Maibaum, and in Christian households, the consumption of blessed foods. Christa Berger notes that in parts of Styria and Lower Austria, some villagers still prepare a special breakfast to honour Saint Walpurga.

Common May 1st foods include

Sweet braided bread (Hefezopf) or Maibrot, often baked in a circular form with spring herbs like lemon balm or sweet woodruff.

Cold meats and smoked ham, left over from Easter or cured for the occasion.

Nettle dishes, especially nettle dumplings (Brennesselknödel) and nettle stew, served to honour Walpurga’s association with herbs and healing.

Milk and dairy were ritually significant, tied to fertility and the Marian devotions associated with May in Catholic tradition.

These culinary customs echo a deeper memory—of spring’s fragile boundary between chaos and growth, and the role of figures like Walpurga in mediating the sacred and the seasonal.

Conclusion

Saint Walpurga and Saint Boniface were not merely pious figures but agents of cultural transformation. Their mission to the Germanic lands reconfigured religious identity, established enduring institutions, and, in Walpurga’s case, allowed the memory of a female saint to be layered upon an ancient seasonal rite. Walpurgisnacht remains a site of memory and negotiation between Christianity and ancestral folkways. Through the work of historians and ethnographers like Christa Berger, we see how these layered traditions still speak across the centuries.

References

• Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Lawrence, C. H. (2001). Medieval Monasticism (3rd ed.). Longman.
• Talbot, C. H. (Ed.). (1954). The Anglo-Saxon Missionaries in Germany. Sheed and Ward.
• Lindow, J. (2002). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press.
• Acta Sanctorum. (1680). Maii Tomus I.
• Berger, C. (2024). “Walpurgisnacht und Maibaum.” Der Steirische Brauch. https://www.der-steirische-brauch.at/post/walpurgisnacht-und-maibaum