DoggiesAreTheBest: In Sweden the festival is a (pagan) rite to honor the return of Spring. Here, the important part is the eve of the last day in April, where we make make big bonfires (preferably on a lake) and greet the spring with a lot of singing. The last day in April is called "Valborgs(mässoafton)", Valborg is the Scandinavian name for the Catholic saint Walpurgis who was/is belived to be the patron of witches (this is of course not certified by the church). Her day is the first of May and, like I said, Walpurgis night is the night before May first on which nature was suppossed to be potent.

EDIT: Ooops, I didn't see your post until I posted Spencer, sorry! I hope you don't think I didn't value your post, because that's not the case. BTW, I had no clue it was Jean d'Arc's (I wonder why her name is different in English...) birthday, so thanks for letting me know that. We learn something new everyday