Witching and demonstrating: May traditions in Germany

Witches have supposedly been gathering in Germany's Harz since the mid-17th century to light fires and "hold revels with the devil." The event on April 30 still attracts thousands of visitors, and is spread across 20 locations around the Brocken Mountain. The focal point is Hexentanzplatz (Witches' Dance-floor) in the Harz Mountains.

Dancing around a fire is not just part of Walpurgis Night. People light big bonfires in villages around Germany. In some regions, a witch doll made of straw and old clothing is thrown into the fire to chase away bad spirits

Decorated with streamers and sometimes wreaths, May poles are erected on market squares in many German villages. But in other places, even in big cities like Cologne, young male suitors place May trees adorned with hearts in front of their girlfriends' houses.

Some like to jig around as a witch, others like a traditional folk dance. In southern Germany, young people don traditional costumes and dance through their village, singing songs celebrating the month of May.

Then there's the more modern version of dance and partying. Many people gather on Walpurgis Night to "dance into the first of May." This photo was taken in Berlin's Mauerpark, a popular spot for the celebrations.

May punch is a beverage mixed according to people's old family recipes. A main ingredient, along with wine, is sweet woodruff. Fruit also takes a prominent role. Invented by a Benedictine monk in the year 854 as a "medicinal drink" to strengthen heart and liver, people nowadays enjoy drinking it on a balmy spring evening in a beer garden.

May punch is a beverage mixed according to people's old family recipes. A main ingredient, along with wine, is sweet woodruff. Fruit also takes a prominent role. Invented by a Benedictine monk in the year 854 as a "medicinal drink" to strengthen heart and liver, people nowadays enjoy drinking it on a balmy spring evening in a beer garden.

Drawing a line with a piece of chalk to point out a romantic relationship between two people is an old tradition in villages in Germany and Austria. The line can meander all the way through the village, ending in a great big heart in which the initials of the people involved are written.

Demonstrating rather than celebrating: May 1 is International Labor Day. For those employed, it's an opportunity to take to the streets to demand better working conditions. Such demonstrations occur across Germany each year, but they go back to the demands of Australian demonstrators on May 1, 1856 for an eight-hour work day.

Invented in 1644 in England, "Mother's Day" made its way to Germany in 1923, but the tradition of giving presents and flowers to one's mother didn't really take off until after World War II. Mother's Day is normally celebrated on the second Sunday in May.