Sankt Martinstag (St. Martin's Day)
- Was ist Sankt Martinsabend, Sankt Martinsfest, und Sankt Martinstag?
(What is St. Martin’s Eve, St. Martin Festival, and St. Martin’s Day?)- When is St. Martin’s Festival celebrated in Germany?
- Who was St. Martin?
- First he was a Roman soldier and later became a monk and the Bishop of Tours in the 4th century.
- Many people know of St. Martin for saving a homeless man by giving him half of his cloak during a snowstorm.
- Where is St. Martin’s Festival celebrated in Germany?
- Regions of Central Europe, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe
- Countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and the Rhine River valley and eastern Germany
- Where to enjoy St Martin's Day celebrations across Germany
- Why is St. Martin’s Festival (Martinmas) celebrated in Germany?
- It is considered to be the most popular of all saints’ days.
- It celebrates the end of the agrarian year and the beginning of the harvesting.
- It’s also the end of the period of all souls, that started in November, 1st with Halloween, or All Saints’ Day.
- Beschreibung (description):
In Honor of St. Martin
- Vocabulary and words associated with Sankt Martinsfest
- How is St. Martin’s Festival celebrated in Germany?
- Was macht man zum Sankt Martinsfest? (What does one do at St Martin’s?)
- Parade / procession on Martinsabend (St. Martin’s Eve)
- Martinmas Feuer (Martin’s fire, bonfire)
- St. Martin’s Festival customs
- people eat roast goose (Gans) on St. Martin’s Day
- pastries: Weckmann (sweet yeast dough with raisins and nuts) and Martinshörnchen (croissant-shaped pastry)
- paper lanterns (Laterne)
- parades, processions, and bonfires
- singing traditional songs
- asking for small gifts from houses and stores
- Was macht man zum Sankt Martinsfest? (What does one do at St Martin’s?)
- Trends of celebrating St. Martin’s Festival in Germany:
- Martin Luther was named after Saint Martin, as he was baptized on November 11, (St. Martin’s Day), 1483.
- It has become a children’s festival between Halloween and Nikolaus Day.
- This holiday is known as the first bringers of gifts before Christmas.