h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A very interesting article, I have not heard of Walpurgis Night before. I'm not sure if it would be good if it caught on in the UK, like the American import 'Trick or Treat' sometimes things can get out of hand.

It sounds like it is mostly fun where it is practiced though.

Not many years ago, the kids would go mad where I live (Southern Germany). With the younger ones, that was OK - their parents would go round the streets with them at about 8 pm. It was the older ones who got up to the tricks mentioned in the entry - the worst being the removal of man-hole covers. Imagine what that could do to a car in a dark street!

One morning, many years ago, I went out in the morning of 1 May to see what had happened during the night, and nearly flew down the marble steps outside the door - they had been smeared with soft soap. Fortunately I was holding the banisters. If I hadn't been, and had been, say a seventy-year-old, I don't think it would have been very nice.

Somehow, these days, the custom seems to be dying out. However, Hallowe'en has now been imported from the States, and is celebrated the American way (this has been going on for about 4-5 years now, to coincide with the dying out of the Walpurgis night). There is also - I think - an increase in Satanism. This, however, is difficult to back up, of course.

It's lovely having outdoor parties on 30 April, though. The lilac is out, the evenings are light and with some luck, are quite warm. And you can keep an eye on the kids going past, to make sure they don't take your garden gate down and chuck it on the rose bed.

Any excuse for a is a good one in my

"vappu" is a very funny day in here Finland. People usually drink too much and have a good time with their friends. We have decorations everywhere and we drink "sima" which tastes like soft drink but it's usually home made and it includes a bit alcohol. and vappu is not vappu if you can't eat buns and "tippaleipää". I love vappu because we don't have school then.