Who needs Halloween?

November 11, 2013 9:52 AM

November 11 may be a day of sombre reflection in the rest of the world, the 95th anniversary of the end of the Great War, but in the Netherlands, as well as parts of Belgium, Germany and northern France, it's a holiday: Sint Maarten, the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours. This is traditionally the end of autumn and the start of winter, as well as the last day before the fasting period of Advent, enough of an excuse to sent the kids round the village waving paper lanterns, singing silly songs and begging for candy.
posted by MartinWisse (16 comments total)

I like that the kids aren't threatening you if you don't give them candy. Although, to honor St. Martin, shouldn't the kids all tear their candy bars in two and share them with other children?
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:58 AM on November 11, 2013 [1 favorite]

The fact that it's based on sharing makes it wonderful.
posted by arcticseal at 10:24 AM on November 11, 2013

I'm sitting by my door right now with a bowl of candy waiting for the next ring of the doorbell. St. Maarten was my favorite holliday as a kid.

Kip, kap, kogel
Ik heb een mooie vogel
Een vogel met een lange staart
Die is wel een centje waard
posted by Pendragon at 10:33 AM on November 11, 2013

It's also Singles' Day in China, the single biggest shopping day on the planet!
posted by briank at 10:40 AM on November 11, 2013 [1 favorite]

The Dutch and French sides of St. Maarten/St. Martin island celebrate Nov. 11 as their own sort of Columbus Day. The island was apparently sighted by Christopher Columbus on November 11, 1493, the holiday of St. Martin of Tours, and he named the island after him.

Not that they arrived at the current state without conflict, but it's nice and appropriate that the French and Dutch sides are now sharing the two halves of the island.

And the island of St. Martin of Tours has now become the St. Martin of Organized Tours.
posted by Kabanos at 10:41 AM on November 11, 2013

And it's Pepero Day in Korea!
posted by needled at 10:49 AM on November 11, 2013

Growing up in Denmark, we'd often eat roast duck on St. Martin's Eve based on this legend:

The goose became a symbol of St Martin of Tours because of a legend that when trying to avoid being ordained bishop he had hidden in a goose pen, where he was betrayed by the cackling of the geese. St. Martin's feast day falls in November, when geese are ready for killing. St Martin’s Day was an important medieval autumn feast, and the custom of eating goose 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 to eat goose, so many ate duck or hen instead.

posted by AwkwardPause at 11:12 AM on November 11, 2013

We're trying this out in our Texas 'hood with some other neighborhood kids this year. We'll see how it goes...
posted by resurrexit at 11:18 AM on November 11, 2013

Kids came and sang at our apartment last year but we weren't expecting them. Never seen such sad faces when I said "Ik heb geen snoepjes." I'm glad their parents were there to explain that we didn't understand the tradition.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:23 AM on November 11, 2013 [1 favorite]

I came back with my kids from the St.Martin fest organized at the Kindergarten. It is a good celebration that places emphasis on sharing.
posted by Yiba at 12:02 PM on November 11, 2013

Unfortunately too few neighbourhood kids came round this evening and I got a bowl full of candy I now need to dump on my co-workers tomorrow...
posted by MartinWisse at 12:13 PM on November 11, 2013

I lived in Germany (near Feiburg) as a kid and this and fasching are ingrained in my head. We'd make the paper lanterns in kinderschule and then gather outside the church where someone dressed as St. Martin would show up on a horse, which was pretty cool for 5 year old me. Oh, and at Christmas Saint Nicholas would visit our school and bring Zwarte Piet (black Pete) along with him. Nobody knew about Halloween and if you wanted to go trick-or-treating you had to visit the PMQs at CFB Lahr.
posted by furtive at 1:34 PM on November 11, 2013

You're supposed to fast for Advent? Well, that makes the wreathes a lot less fun.
posted by maryr at 3:00 PM on November 11, 2013

Saint Martin's day is also the typical date for the Killing of the Pig in Spain (matanza de cerdo) to traditionally stock up on meat for the winter. Friends and neighbours usually pitch with the hard work to put together the preserved meats (cured ham, chorizo, morcilla etc) and as a reward they are then invited to an open air feast where they eat the fresh meat roasted.
Thus the gloomy saying "to every pig comes their San Martin".
posted by Lung the Younger at 2:49 AM on November 12, 2013

Where I live now, Sint Maartin is lovely; in fact, it was walking down my current street of residence two years ago on Sint Maartin we decided that this would become our street of residence.

However! When I first lived her in the 90s in another city that was less polite, we'd get teenagers with no lamps who would sing no songs and just thrust out their hands expecting candy. Back then (and sometimes now even) people would make home made cookies or candy or whatnot to hand out, so it wasn't out of place to receive something homemade.

One year, I'd had enough of surly teens and wrapped a bunch of uncooked Brussels sprouts in tinfoil with a little Heresy's kiss style plastic bow thingy on top.

And don't even get me started on how I handled Luilak in that same obnoxious town one year.

Why yes, I am a bad man. I regret nothing.
posted by digitalprimate at 5:15 AM on November 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

Ich geh' mit meiner Lateeeeerne
Und meine Laterne mit mir.
Dort oben leuchten die Steeeeerne
Und unten leuchten wir.
Mein Licht ist aus, wir geh'n nach haus,
Rabimmel rabammel rabumm!
posted by Omnomnom at 6:17 AM on November 12, 2013 [1 favorite]