I am a little behind in my blogging - but on Thursday, November 11th - we celebrated Sint Marteen Dag here in the Netherlands. I've cut and pasted the story below from a website that i Googled. I've also attached a clip of a song that Jayden learned at school (he insisted that i take a video of him singing this song! - and sorry that it's "sideways" - bad camera operation on my part!). The kids made this "lantern-type" craft at school too.
Our Dutch teacher told us that in the neighborhoods around the netherlands on Sint Marteen day - the children carry around lanterns and go to their neighbor's houses to sing songs and receive candy.
As we were driving home from swim lessons on Thursday night, we saw some children walking around with their parents. Unfortunately we do not have any neighbors where we live - so the children were not able to participate.
In The Netherlands, the feast of St Martin of Tours is celebrated as Sint Marteen Day, with festivities especially for children. Comparable to the observance of Halloween in North America, children fashion lanterns and wear costumes as they go from house begging for sweets in areas of The Netherlands and Belgium.
St Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier born in the first millenium of the Christian era in what is now Hungary. He refused to serve the Emperor and became a monk and later a revered bishop. He is one of the most revered saints in Christendom, in both the east and west. Tradition holds that during a cold winter, he encountered a poor beggar who was nearly naked. St Martin cut his cloak in half and gave it to the beggar and later had a vision that led him to a life of charity and service to the Church.
At one time, the feast of St Martin began a 40 day period of fasting. This was later to become the observance of Advent, or the preparation of the coming of Christmas. Therefore, Martinmas - as it was once known in Britain - was a carnival ('farewell to meat') much as is Mardi Gras in advance of Lent.
Children sing traditional songs in commemoration of the charitable former soldier.
St Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier born in the first millenium of the Christian era in what is now Hungary. He refused to serve the Emperor and became a monk and later a revered bishop. He is one of the most revered saints in Christendom, in both the east and west. Tradition holds that during a cold winter, he encountered a poor beggar who was nearly naked. St Martin cut his cloak in half and gave it to the beggar and later had a vision that led him to a life of charity and service to the Church.
At one time, the feast of St Martin began a 40 day period of fasting. This was later to become the observance of Advent, or the preparation of the coming of Christmas. Therefore, Martinmas - as it was once known in Britain - was a carnival ('farewell to meat') much as is Mardi Gras in advance of Lent.
Children sing traditional songs in commemoration of the charitable former soldier.
Dutch version:
Sinte, Sinte Maarten,
Sinte, Sinte Maarten,
De koeien hebben staarten,
Geef een appel of een peer,
Dan kom ik dit jaar niet meer.
English version:
Saint, Saint Martin,
The cows have tails,
Give us an apple or a pear,
Then we won't come back this year.
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