Everything that has to do with witches seems wildly popular. The witch festival Heksia that will be held this weekend is completely sold out. “For some people, the rituals that date from the Celtic era are a kind of new faith,” said Yvonne Lammers of the Prehistoric Village in Eindhoven.
Brooms are almost impossible to find, but otherwise there is plenty to do around the theme of witchcraft. Workshops, stalls, live music, lectures, demonstrations, dance and crafts. All especially for witches. “We are making incense with all kinds of herbs and finely ground raisins,” says Dorothee Olthof. “That is to appease the gods.”
Dozens of people watch closely how Dorothee is working with the herbs. Many people are also dressed as witches, with hats and beautiful robes, they are both men and women. At a stall stands a girl with a witch’s broom. She is one of the few. “I really want to fly, but I can’t, because it’s not a real broom,” she says, a bit disappointed.
“Witchcraft is a very serious occupation, for some even a substitute for faith.”
Heksia, the magical world of witches and pagans is the personal hobby of Yvonne Lammers board member of the Prehistoric Village. “I am an archaeologist and always very interested in the history of witches and witchcraft.
Throughout history there have always been people who could predict the future and who were engaged in rituals and herbs. They are still there today,” says Yvonne. “In the last ten years, everything about witches has become very popular. There are a lot of people involved in witchcraft. It is a very serious activity, for some people even a substitute for faith.”
“We are witches at heart”
Erwin from Bergen op Zoom goes through life as a ‘Sybrian’ at the festival. He has a staff with a skull and bird feathers, long gray hair and an animal skin over his shoulders. “This is who I am,” he says proudly. “As a Syrian I go to a lot of festivals and every time I put on all this I have the feeling of ‘we’re back’ and I feel completely in my element.” Two Belgian witches, complete with black horns on their heads, say that they were born as witches. “We love the magic, the nature and the spells. We are witches at heart”, they say with a laugh.
If you think I want to go and see all the magic and witchcraft too, then you’re out of luck. All three thousand tickets for the Heksia festival are sold out.