Germany is a country that
does not traditionally celebrate Halloween. Instead, it has
Walpurgisnacht, the Witches’ Night, which takes place every year
on April 30.
One of the largest Walpurgisnacht celebrations in Germany takes
place at the Hexentanzplatz, the Witches’ Dance Floor, a
mountain plateau looming over the sleepy town of Thale. Locals
light an enormous bonfire and run wild dressed as witches,
demons, and all forms of nightmarish ghouls. Statues of witches
and demons from regional folklore line a square where local
vendors sell all sorts of Harz specialties from sausages to
schnapps.