PEACE in the hustle and bustle of activities........

St. Martin's Day Is Celebrated Throughout Europe

St. Martin's Day is celebrated on Nov. 11 throughout Europe. Named after St. Martin, the 4th-century Roman Catholic Bishop of Tours, France, this holiday spread from France to Germany, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe.


It celebrates the end of the growing season and the beginning of harvesting. It also marks the last day to celebrate before the fasting of Advent begins. Children and adults walk down the streets with lanterns and torches, and sing St. Martin songs. The children visit neighborhood houses singing and reciting poems, which earns them sweet treats, not unlike Western Halloween.

Poles Have Two Reasons to Celebrate

Nov. 11 is Independence Day in Poland, but it is also St. Martin's Day and in Poznan, Poland, the Roman Catholic saint's name day seems to take precedence.


Every year on Nov. 11, thousands of Poznan residents attend a high Mass in St. Martin's Church followed by a parade through St. Martin Street led by "St. Martin" sitting astride a white horse. St. Martin rides up to the square in front of Zamek Cultural Centre and is handed the keys to the city by the mayor. Then the celebration begins in earnest.


Inside Zamek, there are exhibitions, concerts and performances, while outside, there’s a street market with knights reenacting medieval jousting tournaments. A splendid fireworks display ends the day.


Pozanians treat themselves to St. Martin's Croissants - rogale swietomarcinski also known simply as marcinski. These crescent-shaped pastries filled with poppyseed and almond paste are consumed by the hundreds of thousands.


Legend has it this centuries-old tradition commemorates a Poznan baker's dream. His nightime reveries had St. Martin entering the city on a white horse that lost its golden horseshoe. The very next morning, the baker whipped up horseshoe-shaped croissants filled with almonds, white poppyseed and nuts, and gave them to the poor.


Another story cites the Rev. Jan Lewicki of St. Martin's parish appealing to his congregation in 1891 to make something for the poor for St. artin's Day. Baker Jozef Melzer is said to have made croissants which were given to the poor or bought by the wealthy.


Some bakeries have started to produce these pastries year-round, but the "best ones" are considered to be those available only on Nov. 11.

Traditions in Slovenia and Croatia

In Slovenia and Croatia, St. Martin's Day marks the day when the must traditionally turns to wine. The must is usually considered impure and sinful until it is baptized and turned into wine.


St. Martin's Day Festivals -- -- Martinje-- include a "baptism" performed by someone who dresses up as a bishop, usually the host, and blesses the wine. It is definitely a time to eat, drink and be merry with a feast consisting of goose and mlinci -- a type of dumpling.

Czech Traditions

A Czech proverb -- St. Martin is coming on a white horse -- signifies the snow that begins to fall in November. Some Czechs hold a festival - posviceni - with roast goose as the main course.


Also in Germany  Martin's-Goose, is served

to commemorate the life and legend of St. Martin.

The history takes us far back to the 4th century and to the young Martinus, who served as an officer in the Roman army. One night he was riding on his horse through a town and was approached by a beggar asking him for warm clothes, since it was freezing cold. Martinus split his coat with his sword and gave a half to the beggar. Later Martinus quit his job in the Roman army and became a soldier of God and lived a life of an anchorite. When the story of his good deed spread he should become a bishop. Legend has it that Martinus was too shy to take this honor and tried to hide in a goose hutch. People equipped with lanterns, searched the half night for him and were finally alerted by the twitter of the geese. The geese were butchered and eaten, Martinus became Bishop Martin and was later canonized and still today his story is told and celebrations take place to remember the good deed of St. Martin.
Although this is a nice story to explain why a goose is on the menu on this particular day, there is a far more rational explanation to that. In the yearly calendar of the church- and farmers, the 11th of November marks the beginning of the winter and the 40 days lent before Christmas, where no fat food is allowed. It was also the day, when the farm laborers were laid-off, got paid and received a present and when the annual land lease had to be paid. As currency and presents a goose came in very handy, since money was not often used in the Middle Ages.
All that is left today, thinking of the goose, is the traditional way of preparing this festive meal. Basic rule is, the more aromatic the filling, the better the taste of the meat. In the north of Germany it is common to fill the Martinsgans with a mix of ground pork, onions, garlic and herbs while in the south soaked buns, chestnuts, roasted nuts, apples, plums, sugar, salt, vinegar and red wine are widely preferred. The goose is placed in an oven and constantly basted with its own stock to ensure the meat doesn't dry out.

Well tomorrow night i will walk with my son  and my daughter with her friends ...just like in the picture above

The last two month's of the year are so packed with festivities and in-between family birthdays or fare-well celebrations as we did one last sunday....

That and the normal weekend activities ( soccer  on sat. and church on sun)  followed by two days of work where the reason of not posting on my blog........

I'm still too tired of the last days....but wanted to post about tomorrow activity and celebration what is going on overhere

Coming weekend is the ariving of St Nicholas in Holland

All schools are decorating and making presents for the 5th of december

After tomorrow we as Christians are entering the SEASON of ADVENT

To reflect and meditate on THE REASON for this season is what i appreciate and love to do THIS season of the year. Really every year it surprises me over and over how the message is pure and simple....

THE BIRTH of THE PRINCE of PEACE our PRINCE of PEACE JESUS CHRIST

He wanted to be birthed in our hearts so PEACE can flow in and stay...

PEACE that surpases all understanding

PEACE amids all the hustle and bustle in what the world make of this season......