Valborg

Each day of the calendar we celebrate a name. Today it's Valborg, or Walpurgis, as she is sometimes called. She was a catholic nun who was declared a saint on the first of may some time ago. She died in 779.

Even earlier than that this time of year, people were celebrating the start of a new cycle when light and life returned and the time of planting and sowing could begin. As with most pagan celebrations the church found ways of taking over, making it into a religious event where beliefs and traditions got mixed and new rites were created. Today our celebrations are a great mixture of traditions from many countries, pagan rites and religion. The burning of a bonfire is one common tradition.

This evening I went to the next village south where they use to light a bonfire, sing a few songs to celebrate spring and to socialise with the villagers. I'm not from there but was warmly welcomed by several of the older people and was invited so sing with them if I wanted. About seventy or eighty of us, dogs, horses and children had gathered around when the fire was lit, a speech to the spring was held and  some songs were sung.

Suddenly a terrified mouse came running between the fire and all the people. Maybe it came from inside the heap of twigs and branches when they set fire to it. There was nowhere it could get through the rows of people and dogs. Even though some tried to make a gap for it to escape it never found a way through but kept running back and forth between us and the fire. Then it decided to run towards the right of the fire and I thought it had seen the gap into freedom that was there but suddenly it changed direction and ran full speed into the fire where it disappeared. Some of us was quite chocked and moved by the poor creatures fate, who knows what instincts it was following.

After three quarters of an hour people started to leave, it was not a big fire, and I drove home to get something to eat. It was a lovely evening in the friendly company of so many complete strangers but I can't stop thinking about the mouse...