St. Martin’s Day

St Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier who was baptised as an adult and became a bishop in a French town. He is credited with introducing the white blanc grape varietal, Chenin, from which most of western Europe’s white wine is made. The feast was widely seen as the preferred time for the butchering of beef from prime, fattened cattle, geese, other livestock.

About St. Martin’s Day in brief

Summary St. Martin's DaySaint Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier who was baptised as an adult and became a bishop in a French town. Martinmas is the day when Martin is honoured in the Mass. Its feast and meat-permitted day celebrates the end of the agrarian year, the main annual harvest. Martin is in France widely credited with helping to spread winemaking throughout the region and facilitating vine planting. He is credited with introducing the white blanc grape varietal, Chenin, from which most of western Europe’s white wine is made. The feast was widely seen as the preferred time for the butchering of beef from prime, fattened cattle, geese, other livestock and the ending of the toil of autumn wheat seeding. The goose became a symbol of the saint due to a legend that when trying to avoid being ordained bishop he hid in a pen of geese,. whose cackling gave him away. Once a key medieval autumn feast, a custom of eating goose on the day spread to Sweden from France. It was primarily observed by the craftsmen and noblemen of the towns. In the peasant community, not everyone could afford this, so many ate duck or hen instead. In Austria, St. Martin’s Day is celebrated the same way as the night before Christmas in Germany and on the night of Nov. 11, children walk in the process of making lanterns, which they make in school and sing songs. In Germany, children carry lanterns in the streets after dark, singing songs for which they are rewarded with candy.

In some countries, Martinmas celebrations begin at the eleventh minute of the 11th hour of this eleventh day of the ele 11th month. In others, the festivities commence on St.Martin’s Eve. Bonfires are built and children carry Lanterns in the street after dark. In other countries, celebrations begin on St Martin’s Eve on November 8, 397, and are buried three days later. The day marked natural winter’s start, and in the economic calendar, theend of autumn. It is a minor carnival feasting, dancing and bonfires. As at Michaelmas on 29 September, goose is eaten in most places. Because it also comes before a penitential season, it became a minor Carnival feasting and dancing and Bonfires. In France, Martin is widely considered to be the patron of the poor and is known as the ‘friend of the children’. The old Greek folklore that Aristaeus discovered the vines after watching the goat pruning has been appropriated to Martin. This is because he discovered the advantage of a goat- pruning region of the region of Tours and discovered a white wine varietal from Chenin. The traditional dish of Martin is ‘Martinloben’, which is made in a school process and made in school on the nights before St Martin’s Day and on November 11, 11th November. It’s also known as ‘Old Halloween’ and “Old Hallowmas Eve’