Six months from Halloween is Walpurgis Eve, and at midnight is when the evil spirits, hobgoblins, will-o-the-wisps, imps, and the ilk emerge from the bowels of the earth with six months of pent-up mischief. Yes, on April 30th, some odd things happened.

All the witches had fun on the right.

At Swiss Paradise one could see some of the last few real witches dancing and leaping over camp fires... and (if you really looked carefully) taking off on their broomstick into the night air for their annual journey to where no one knows. A high-pitched sound in the air that only they could hear summoned them, and quickly they ran to their ointment-pot, smeared themselves and on their broom they rode into the air...

Actually, it was not exactly like this! The "witches" were only members of "Die Zugvoegel", the German language club, who are always good for some fun. In ancient days, Walpurgis Night was a holiday, celebrated by pagans to welcome the warmer season.

Which witch is witchier?

It was usually held in a forest or around a lot of trees. And at those times there were also some tales alive of witches coming together and celebrating some of their rites. So, to scare off the "real" ones, "Die Zugvoegel" dressed like witches, showing a lot of fantasy and better - a lot of humor. They had placed a big, yet funny looking witch made out of many copies of Pattaya Mail, riding on her broom high in the air right next to a huge bale-fire. Of course, all those weird "witches" had to pretend and therefore they danced with, for witches, typical awkward jumps around the fire.

But that was just because the fire streamed out such a heat in this already very hot climate. Soaking wet from perspiring, they soon stopped this dance to welcome Daisy, the lovely May Queen, who after the long, cold winter finally took over the reigns. She was covered with flowers and carried in by two pagans. All the on-lookers, including the "witches", stood in rows and flanged blooms at her and in return, the queen passed out flower chains to all.