St. Martin’s Day

In Düsseldorf, Germany where I grew we celebrated St. Martin’s Day on November 11th. Every year in elementary school we mad lanterns for the parade. A tea light was used for illumination.

When it started to get dark, we met in the school yard with our lanterns. St Martin on his white horse and with his red cloak led the parade through the part of the city where I lived. The band played music and we sang St. Martin songs. The most famous one was: “Ich geh mit meiner Laterne und meine Laterne mit mir”. Translation: “I walk with my lantern and my lantern with me”. At the end of the parade we returned to the school yard and St Martin would share part of his cloak with a beggar.

After the parade we children would go from store to store and receive candy and other goodies. The bakeries would give out Weckmänner.

It’s a sweet bread with raisins and a pipe. After eating it we would pretend to smoke the pipe.

Martin was a roman soldier in the fourth century who shared his cloak with a freezing beggar. According to legend, that night he had a dream in which Jesus Christ appeared and carried half of his cloak. This prompted him to become a soldier and later a bishop in Tours, where he became known for his charity and humble lifestyle.

Martin was born in Hungary around 316 AD and served as a Roman soldier. He was 17 years old when he performed the famous deed.

One cold winter day, he encountered a freezing beggar outside the gates of Amiens. Having only his sword and cloak, he cut the cloak in half and gave one half to the man to save him from the cold.

During the night, Christ appeared to him in a dream, wearing half the cloak, and told him that with his act he had clothed Christ himself.

After this experience, Martin was baptized and left the army. He later became a monk and founded the first monastery in Europe.

Although he initially hid from the office, he was consecrated Bishop of Tours. Even as a bishop he lived very modestly and dedicated himself to the poor and needy.

He died November 8, 397 and was burred on November 11. To this day, he his venerated as a saint and on St. Martin’s Day he is commemorated with lantern parades and roast goose.

Did you celebrate St. Martin as a child?

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