Be aware of witches Saturday night

Saturday night, residents living off base must keep a watchful eye on their houses and vehicles. They also should park their cars in the garage, if they have one. Because if they leave the car outside, they might find it wrapped in toilet paper or decorated with ketchup the following morning. They also should make sure anything sitting outdoors that can be easily picked up, such as doormats and flowerpots, are placed indoors for the night, otherwise it might be gone or placed somewhere else Sunday morning. Residents must take these precautionary measures because Saturday night is “Hexennacht,” or “witches night.”

Weird things happen the night of April 30 to May 1. Customarily, children and teenagers play tricks on neighbors. They ring doorbells and run off, put mustard on door handles, hide floor mats and trash cans, remove garden gates and wrap various items in toilet paper.

Sometimes, older children and even adults do destructive things like lifting drainage covers in the middle of the road or moving traffic signs. Therefore, drivers are asked to be very careful at night and the following morning because these actions create safety hazards and result in property damage. German Polizei patrol the neighborhoods and take appropriate action if necessary.

Legend says that on the night of April 30, evil ghosts represented by cold weather, snow and darkness meet with witches and demons at Blocksberg hill in the Harz mountains. Here they get into mischief before they take off on broomsticks, pitchforks and billy goats at midnight.

The origin of witches night goes back to Pagan times when people believed that evil ghosts tried to prevent the “Queen of Spring” from entering the country. Witches and demons were masters of people and things, so people did a lot to protect themselves. They hid billy goats and broomsticks so witches would not be able to ride on them through the night and do evil things. It was an unwritten law that children must not get beaten with a broomstick because it could be a witch’s tool.

Witches night is also called “Walpurgis” night. Walpurga was an English saint who worked as a missionary in Germany in the eighth century. In 761, she became the abbess of a monastery in Heidenheim, which was founded by her two brothers, Willibald and Wunibald, who also were saints. She was known for exorcising demons from the bodies of the sick. Walpurga died in 779, and on May 1, 871, her body was transported to Eischstaeett to be reburied next to her brothers.

Another German tradition to observe in the beginning of May is to “dance into May.” Various associations and sports clubs sponsor “Tanz in den Mai” with live music in community halls, sports gyms, gasthauses or other facilities that house dancing halls.

In several villages of the KMC, a May tree will be put up the evening of April 30 or in the morning of May 1. Sometimes this ceremony is combined with a village fest.

The May tree usually is a fir with the lower branches stripped and only the treetop untouched. The pole is decorated with colorful ribbons and craftsmen’s trade ornaments like sausages for the butchers, pretzels for the bakers or carved wooden figures. May poles symbolize the beginning of spring and hope for a good harvest.

Dance into May is offered Saturday evening at the following times and locations:

• 8 p.m., Katzweiler Lautertalhalle

• 8 p.m., Landstuhl, Zehntenscheune

• 8 p.m., Kindsbach, Mehrzweckhalle

May tree fests in the KMC, where the May trees are put up, take place on the following days:

• Saturday: Witches night fest with putting up of May tree, eating and drinking, 6 p.m. in Drehenthalerhof, a district of Otterberg; May tree fest, 6 p.m. near Mehrzweckhalle in Krickenbach; and putting up of the May tree, 6 p.m. in Stelzenberg near Lindenbrunnen fountain.

• Sunday: putting up of May tree, 9 a.m. near Haus der Vereine in Bann; May tree fest, 11 a.m. on Grandcamp-Maisy-Platz and in community hall in Kindsbach; May fest, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the fire station in Hauptstuhl; May fest in Mehrzweckhaus in Erzenhausen; May fest, 10 a.m. at fairgrounds in Reichenbach; May fest with chicken, cakes, a fire station equipment display, presentation by youth firefighters, 11 a.m. near fire station in Niederkirchen, north of Otterberg; and May fest with food, live music, and arts and craft, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the village square in Bruchmuehlbach-Miesau.