April 30, 2026

This Day in Halloween: Hexennacht, or "witches Night" -- a variation of Walpurgis Night -- is held in Germany. / Illustration by Kyo Johnson

Hexennacht, a variation of Walpurgis Night, is held in Germany. While Walpurgis Night is a feast day of 8th Century English Saint Walpurga, Hexennacht is German for “Witches’ Night” and considered the night when witches and sorcerers reportedly have gathered for centuries to celebrate and await the arrival of spring on the peak of the Brocken, the highest peak in Northern Germany.