walpurgis night\val’purges-, -u(e)ges-; val’per|jes-, wal-, wol- -pe|, -pei|, |ges-\ or walpurgisnacht n -s usu cap W&N [walpurgis night part trans. of G walpurgisnacht, fr. Walpurgis St. Walburga +A.D. 777 Eng. saint whose feast day falls on May Day + G nacht night, fr. OHG naht 1 : the evening preceding May Day : the evening of April 30 believed esp. during medieval and Renaissance times to be an occasion when witches celebrate a sabbat 2 : something (as an event or situation) having an orgiastic or nightmarish character (the big, wicked party that should be the … Walpurgis Night of his book —New Republic) (the relationship … became a protracted Walpurgisnacht –George Stevens)
So if this were an SAT question it would be Christmas is to the Winter Solstice as Easter is to The Vernal Equinox – as Walpurgisnacht is to ….wait. I’m confused.
Walpurgisnacht is to a turnip as long bowls is to a muleman’s left foot.
I thought these ‘WOW’s were chosen randomly. I wonder whether this one wasn’t chosen in advance.
In advance of what?
Halloween. I was thinking of the witches and nightmares.
Yeah, the Halloween connection occurred to me. Otherwise it was a random choice determined by the page I chanced to turn to in the big dictionary. Maybe I’ll host a Wallpurgisnacht party next April.
My whole life has been a Walpurgisnacht.
Korrektiv will be changing its name to Walpurgisnacht at some point in the future.
News flash: Indian Country (formerly the Gospel Guys) have changed their name to Walpurgisnacht and will be releasing a new album of techno-industrial-folk tunes in 2006.