Europe: St.Martin Day Celebration

Each November 11, many northern European countries celebrate St.Martin's day. This Sunday was no exception, also in the Netherlands. St. Martins day is named after St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who became a monk after being baptised as an adult.

Kids in Almere, the Netherlands, celebrating St.Martin Day

He was born Born: 316 in Savaria, Pannonia (modern day Szombathely, in Hungary) He eventually obtained sainthood from the Catholic Church for being a kind man who became known for cutting his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm. The modern version of what used to be a Catholic celebration has now become a traditional children's event where kids between the ages of 3 and 10, accompanied by their parents, participate in family processions with paper lanterns in remembrance of St. Martin. 

They ring door bells in their neighborhood singing St.Martin songs. Kids usually have made their own little paper lanterns in school or kindergarten before taking to the streets. After singing their songs kids are rewarded with candy.

Originating in France, the tradition of celebrating Martinmas spread to Germany in the 16th century and later to Scandinavia and the Baltics. In Estonia, Martinmas signifies the merging of Western European customs with the local Balto-Finnic pagan traditions, it also contains elements of earlier worship of the dead as well as certain year-end celebration that predates Christianity.

Martinmas actually has two meanings: in the agricultural calendar it marks the beginning of the natural winter, but in the economic calendar it is seen as the end of autumn.

EU-Digest