St. Martin's Tag

Maybe you remember last year's story of my first St Martin's Day in our new home.

St Martin's Day is not something I'd remember to plan for, so I've asked the terrier lady to call me every year to remind me. The story and traditions can be seen succinctly on Wiki.

Last night we celebrated this tradition again, and I got the house all dressed up for it. This time my man would be home with me, so I didn't have to escape to the neighbors and leave my house dark.

This time we'd welcome the kids and give out lots of candy.

It's like Hallowe'en, with large groups of neighborhood children ringing your doorbell and expecting candy. They dont' say "Trick or Treat" though.

They carry hand-made lanterns as they walk, and they're really beautiful. I am sorry to have missed out on lantern making as a child!

Previously in the week there are large gatherings of families, kids with lanterns, and they follow a white horse through the town, singing, accompanied by a brass band. I missed it because my man asked me to go buy bread, and I said I didn't feel like it, so he went, and saw St. Martin, his cloak, and all the singing kids. Doh! I did see it in 2008 and it was something special.

I'm already wanting to put up Christmas lights, just because I love having the colored lights in my windows on these early evenings. But it is not appropriate yet. Except for last night.



I strung up one colored row and then found every candle in the house and put one or two in every window. I turned on the blue string in the bedroom to call kids who come from that direction on the street.

I went to the store for even more candy, and came home to find my man had sorted all the candy by type, and counted each type. We had enough for 60 children.

I wrote little signs that they should only take 2 of these, and 3 of these.



Then I made a fire in the woodstove and waited. Mercer was running around nervously cuz of all the changes.

Finally we heard singing and I ran to my husband, "Help me, kids are coming!!" and he did. When we answered the door, my man took over in his teacher voice, "All right kids, we didn't hear the song very well, so sing it again for us."

And they all broke out in song at our doorstep! It was beautiful! Then he gave out candy, and he whispered to me, "They aren't honoring the spirit of St. Martin (to show compassion to others), they're just greedy for candy!" He told me they all learn the song in school. (Nils is in the center, wearing blue. He's my next door neighbor, the son of Anja the hunter/jumper rider.)



Then I took a few photos of the kids and their lanterns, and they went down the street singing. Here is a lantern that is supposed to be a cat, I think.

Then we waited, and get this--no more kids came!! What a disappointment!

Now I'm gonna have to walk next door with all that candy and give it to Nils and ask him to either eat it or share it with his friends. But wait, only after I take out what I like best...mmmm...Haribo.