EU-Digest:: Saint Maarten day celebration in Holland

A special report on Saint Maarten day in the Netherlands

Saint Maarten day celebration in Holland

Today was the traditional St. Maarten day in Holland, when small children come to the door with lanterns, singing the St.Maarten song. After they have sung you are expected to give them fruit or sweets or both. St. Maarten also hails in the Dutch holiday season where St. Maarten day is followed by Sinterklaas ( Saint Nicolas day) on December the 5th, Christmas December 24 and 25, and New Years Eve on December 31/January 1. The History of Saint Maarten has it that Sint Martinus was famous for his great love for the poor, the children and the people in need. As much as he could he tried to help others. In his early days, Saint Martinus was a soldier in the Roman army. On a cold day in the middle of the winter he was riding on a horse heading for home. When he arrived at the city-gate, there was a naked beggar, almost frozen to death, who asked for a penny. Maarten felt so sorry for this man, that he cut his cape in two, and gave one half to the beggar. The next night, Maarten had a strange dream. In that dream, Jesus emerged, wearing a half cape, which he gave to a beggar. From that moment, Maarten didn't want to be a soldier anymore but wanted to devote his life to Christ and God. He became a monk and several years later a bishop. He was so loved by the people that after his death his name has never been forgotten. Many churches in the Netherlands are named after him, like the Martini Church in Groningen. Also many school are named after him (Saint Maartens College).

November 11, the day he died, is the day when tens of thousands of children every year again, sing about him when they walk the street knocking on doors with mainly Chinese-lanterns and ask for an apple, pear or sweets.

Most towns in Holland, Austria, Belgium, Germany and France celebrate Sint-Maarten in the same way: When the sun goes down, and it becomes dark, children walk with their colorful lanterns by the houses singing the traditional songs as they try to gather as much candy and fruits as they can. But in Limburg (the southern part of Holland) Sint-Maarten sometimes rides on a horse through the streets, followed by many children with lanterns. In other parts of Limburg people make Sint-Maarten- bonfires. Then they walk from the village to the bonfire-location with their lanterns and sing more songs.