Walpurgisnacht 🎃

 I know absolutely nothing about Walpurgisnacht  except what Deems Taylor says about it on “Fantasia.” He connects it to Mussorgsky’s “A Night on Bald Mountain,” which he says was written about the night and what happens there. I’m not worried about the anthropological soundness of the story, or the accuracy of the music history. For our purposes, we can take them both as read. 

I’m fairly certain the Irish took Samhain (which is not synonymous with All Hallow’s Eve) as a “thin time” when the veil between living and dead allowed them to feel more connected to the dear departed. The older I get and the more family and friends I outlive, the more I find that idea comforting rather than frightening. Walpurgisnacht on Bald Mountain is supposed to be the frightening version of that, with Satan freed to celebrate with his minions this one night of the year. That idea bleeds over into Hallowe’en in some circles, especially among fundie Xians who think people in costumes and jack o’ lanterns are invitations to the demonic. As if people weren’t evil enough without pumpkins and yard decorations.

Which brings me around to my point, actually. The Ancient Greek idea of reality was that chaos underlay all, and as much as reason worked to suppress it, that was all reason could do: suppress chaos. Temporarily. Chaos would eventually overwhelm reason, and once again prevail.

Which is not what we get on Bald Mountain. Satan, demons, witches, and ghosts disport madly, gaily, freely: until sunrise. At which point they retreat, as All Saints Day reasserts authority. Chaos has one night; order has the rest of the year.

It seems a fair trade off.

(Another fun fact about “Fantasia” I’ll drop here because it’ll be seasonally appropriate in another month. The film includes “The Nutcracker Suite.” Mr. Taylor concludes his remarks on that segment by noting the Tchaikovsky piece “isn’t heard much these days.” What a difference a few decades make, huh?)