In most countries, the 11th of November is generally known for being Remembrance Day, the day on which we mark the anniversary of the end of WWI and honour members of the armed forces who lost their lives during combat. In Germany, however, this day has a meaning entirely of its own and is instead known as St Martin’s Day or Sankt Martins Tag in German, a fascinating tradition which has just been celebrated nationwide.
The story goes that Martin was a soldier in the Roman army who, one cold day, came across a shivering beggar. Overcome with concern for the freezing man, Martin cut off half of his heavy soldier’s cloak to give to the man. During the night, Jesus came to Martin in a dream, saying that he had disguised himself as a beggar to test Martin and that Martin had passed his test. Martin immediately became baptised and refused to fight any more as a soldier, which landed him in prison. After his release he was sought out to be the next bishop of Tours but, being too modest to accept the position, Martin went on the run and ended up hiding in a shed full of geese. The geese were startled by his presence and began to honk, revealing his position to the people searching for him. Martin then had to reluctantly agree to become the new bishop.
Nowadays, every year on the 11th of November, most German schoolchildren make lanterns in school that they then take with them on a procession through their town. They are usually accompanied by someone on horseback dressed as Saint Martin, who may give out small gifts like apples or cakes. The children’s walk often starts at a church and ends in the town centre, where a bonfire is lit and traditional pretzels are distributed. As a nod to the story of the geese giving up St Martin when he was hiding from the villagers, it is traditional to eat a goose in the evening, drawing to a close a memorable albeit peculiar annual celebration!
Erik Estienne (JMO’B)
