Showing posts with label Walpurgis Night. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Walpurgis Night. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

We Welcome Spring - Desperately

Today is the last day of April, a.k.a. Walpurgis Night. On this day we in Sweden welcome spring - whether it has arrived or not. Tomorrow it is spring, whatever the temperature may be outdoors!

Update: The Danish Meteorological Institute (which is usually more correct on my local weather than the Swedish one) revealed today that it has been the coldest April in 25 years.

This evening many of us will light bonfires to chase away the cold. We will also utter incantations and do whatever else may be needed to exorcise and expel all and any remnants of winter. All our winter clothes go to storage and the spring clothes are dragged out It's all an old heathen tradition of course which has been christianized along the way for it to get the blessing of religion.

Spring is unusually late this year. In the far south of Sweden, where I live, we can usually expect spring at least in the beginning of April, but not so this year. Everything seems to be delayed by four to six weeks.

Luckily I have SecondLife, so whatever the temperature may be outdoors in my first life I am going to start wearing my shorts in-world. The populace have been deprived the joy of seeing my wonderful bare legs for too long already.