Soon it will be here, the night of the witches’ dance and fire spooky Turnaround from April 30th to May 1st. Die Walpurgis Night is rooted in the pagan traditions of the Germanic peoples and is still celebrated today, especially in Northern Europe. In the High Middle Ages were the Catholic Church die a thorn in the side of the exuberant celebrations of the wise Hagazuses. As part of Christianization, the rumor was spread that only witches, i.e. allies of the devil, took part. were considered as such strong and independent women – They were accused of being responsible for illness, death and material damage. During the witch hunts and witch trials they were persecuted with incredible brutality, tortured and publicly burned at the stake. The counterpart to this was to protect women from evil spirits Saint Walpurga as a model for a life of chastity and purity.
We are talking about a duality that serves the patriarchal social system across space and time because it separates women: on the one hand independent, independent-thinking or different-thinking witch (also Lilith or whore). On the other hand, the virtuous and selfless saint who conforms to social expectations and role models. The sacrificial, passive, subordinate woman is glorified and placed on a pedestal (Mother of God), the self-determined woman is viewed with suspicion and condemned. Of course, we are dealing with stereotypes or boxes into which women are placed, controlled and oppressed based on their clothing, sexuality and self-determination in the broadest sense. This was true for women in the Middle Ages as well as for the feminists of the 1970s and, in 2018, even for Hilary Clinton, to give a concrete example.
Why? Because there seems to be no greater threat to patriarchy than a group of critical and independent women who challenge and question the rules of the patriarchal system. That is why Walpurgis Night with its symbolic meaning stands for the liberation and strengthening of female energy and for resistance against patriarchal structures. Through a new narrative of the witch figure, the diversity of female experiences and expressions is acknowledged and the complexity of female identity is celebrated. The figure of the witch becomes a symbol of female power and wisdom that exists outside of patriarchal norms and structures.
Our collective strength comes from reflecting on the historical oppression of women and their resistance. It applies that strength and the Mut to celebrateitself against social norms and expectations to revolt that have restricted our freedom and equality for at least 12,000 years, since sedentary times. And that definitely requires a witch’s spell!