In two weeks, we finally reach the day many students have been waiting a whole year for: Valborg. I also did not know about it before coming to Sweden, however, the students who were here last April made it very clear to me that this the one event you cannot miss as a student in Sweden. But why and how do the Swedes celebrate this day?
About Valborg
Valborg, which is short for Valborgsmässoafton, is celebrated on the last day of April. This day has been a cause for celebration in Sweden since the Middle Ages, when it was brought over from Germany. The tradition started a long time ago, but the enthusiasm for this special day has definitely not died yet! In the Middle Ages, the end of April marked not only the end of the very long winter, but also the end of the administrative year. Later on, bonfires were also added to the Valborg tradition to bring some light in the night, and to keep evil spirits or predators away.
To learn about the origins of the name Valborg, we need to go all the way back to Germany in the 1400’s. The tradition of “Walpurgisnacht” in Germany, which celebrated Walpurgia’s declaration as a saint on May 1st, inspired the name for the Swedish Valborg. The holiday also still exists in Germany, but the way of celebrating has developed in different ways in Germany and Sweden. A friend told me that in Germany, it’s a night where everything is allowed, so you wake up to your garden completely wrecked by the young people of your village. In Sweden it is more about enjoying the first evening of the year where it’s not too cold to be outside (even if you need a fire to keep you warm) and coming together with a lot of people.
In Jönköping
Nowadays the day is mainly a celebration of the end of the long dark winter months, and a little preview of the summer that’s getting closer. The sense of community is still as important now as it was in the Middle Ages, when the whole village gathered together for the yearly village meeting. This is why on this evening many places organise big public bonfires. Around Jönköping there will be multiple bonfires, you can check them out here, but most important for us is of course the celebration on campus.
The celebrations on campus start at 12 in front of the library, and continues in Hälsoparken afterwards with many activities organised by the student comities. Get ready for a full day of celebrations and partying with the Westcoast Sexkampen at 1pm, DJ’s in the park at 15pm, and of course, some partying at AKA or with Life when the evening arrives.
You can read about it as much as you want, but the best way to get to know everything about Valborg, is to experience it. It’s time to clear your calendar for the 30th of April and prepare for the most amazing start of spring you’ll have ever experienced!
Writer: Louise Keymolen
