Valborg is celebrated in Sweden in different ways, always depending on the part of the country. Lighting large bonfires is a popular celebration in eastern parts of Sweden like in Svealand or Uppland, where people gather material for their bonfires for months ahead. Lighting bonfires is an ancient custom related to keeping away evil spirits, demons and witches.
The Walpurgis tradition is commonly associated with the feast of Anglo-German Saint Walpurgis. Walpurga was a woman born in England in 710. She went to live to Württemberg in Germany, where she became a nun and abbess in the convent of Heidenheim.

Walpurgis was made a saint on the 1st of May 779, around the same dates than Scandinavians celebrated the return of Spring and the worshipping rituals of fertility associated with that season. With the conversion of the Swedes into Christianity, and since the time of year was the same, the Pagan and Christian celebrations became mixed together and resulted in the Walpurgis Night celebration.

Nowadays Valborg is just seen as a celebration of springtime, but for a feel of the good old Viking days the Skansen Open-Air museum still celebrates Stockholm’s largest and most historical Valborg celebration.

For most of the Swedes though, Valborg just means the end of the winter season and there is no better way to celebrate it than singing Spring songs. Spring songs and choral singing are very typical of the Swedish Valborg celebrations, with many of the traditional songs dating from as back as the 19th century. The most popular and traditional spring festivities are held in the old university towns of Uppsala, Lund and Gothenburg, with its famous carnival parade.

Current and graduated students party all day and all night, and even perhaps longer than that, wearing all the time their characteristic white graduation caps. Valborg is a double national festivity in Sweden because King Carl XVI Gustaf celebrates his birthday on Valborg’s day, 30th of April. Swedish flags are raised all around the country to salute him and show him respect. King Carl XVI Gustaf was born in 1946, which means this year he celebrates his 61st birthday.

May Day (May 1st) follows the Valborg celebrations with a wide choice of events, marches and demonstrations taking place across the country to celebrate the working class’ rights. The 1st of May is a public holiday in Sweden, and many Swedes spend the day either attending the celebrations of political parties and trade unions, or simply enjoying a picnic outdoors with friends and family, weather permitting.

Here is a video, showing you what it can be like – a big bonfire, happy people singing, celebrating that summer is here!

Hmm… No – “Inatt jag drömde”, or “Last night I had the strangest dream” is NOT a typical Walpurgis song!!! It is however a very popular “sing along song”, and Swedes love to sing along – everybody joins in, “tra la la laaaa…” Most Swedes know these lyrics by heart.

(I will try to explain this phenomenon another time – the Swedish ALLSÃ…NG – roughly translated it means “all song” – we ALL join in and sing the SONG!)