Martinitag

 

November 11th, the feast of St. Martin is an important date in the children's calendar here in Austria. It is the day of the annual lantern festival. In Kindergarten and daycare children craft lanterns which they then carry while singing and celebrating at an evening event to which parents are invited. These lanterns are sometimes even kept long after the children are out of primary school. There is some speculation as to whether the lantern procession mirrors early candle processions on the eve of high festivals or whether they hark back to the Martin's fire which is an adoption of a prechristian harvest celebration fire in Germanic areas. Either way, it is an important observance each year.

 St. Martin of Tours was a bishop in the mid 300s in the area which is now in Val de Loire in northeastern France. Starting as a Roman soldier he ended up becoming an ascetic priest and later bishop. The one-act for which he is renown in the collective memory is the time when he, confronted with a poor and naked man at the city gate, divided his sheepskin-lined cloak into two parts and gave half of it to the man. The reason for dividing it is that apparently, from what I can figure out, the outer layer belonged to his uniform and was thus the property of Rome, but the inner lining was the addition of the individual soldier and varied in warmth and quality based on his own socioeconomic standing. Thus, he gave what was his to give, leaving his uniform intact. In a dream that night it is said that Christ came to him, dressed in half his cloak saying, ' I was naked and you clothed me...' He was sainted after his death by the Pope of the day. The 11th of November is the day of his death. The day of a person's death is usually the day of remembrance in Germanic countries whereas the person's birthday is more commonly remembered in Anglo countries.


  As I have mentioned in a recent post, most traditional holidays include a special food item. Martini Day has a set menu. Goose, with dumplings and red cabbage cooked with apples. The tradition of eating goose is based loosely on the legend that when St. Martin found out that he was to be made bishop he ran into a goose shed in order to avoid the appointment. The loud honking of the geese gave him away. As a result, they are punished every year. Perhaps not a mentality that would go over well with animal activists and vegetarians. I have, obviously, never met a person who went to the table with the intention of punishing a goose, but then, traditions do tend to have the oddest roots.

  Speaking of tradition,  It is a tradition of my husband's to meet with his friends from university every November for Martiniganslessen, the annual goose dinner. And Yesterday, we ate with them yet again. The group has changed and grown, children and partners have been added, and the location varies from year to year, but the menu remains... Beneath I have included pictures of our meal, as well as a couple of quick shots of the area we visited.

Starter: Endive salad with warm potatoes and bacon

 Main Course: Goose with red cabbage and dumplings in a red wine sauce served with glazed Maroni.

 Dessert: A vanilla cream with plum compote, a chocolate wafer and a candied kumquat

 In years past I have enjoyed making lanterns in November, both with my children, other children, and as decorations. I did look for pictures of these artistic endeavors but they have been moved to an external drive, so I am not adding them this time.


   Do you celebrate the feast of St. Martin in your country? Do you have a special menu/ lantern festival? Let me know in the comments.


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