Muscadine wine and "St. Martin's Crescent Rolls"—Svatomartinské rohlíčky
Happy Martinmas! Horseshoe rolls are traditionally served on the feast day of St. Martin in the Czech republic, as well as the first of the new wines. I foraged the muscadines and the white walnuts (in the roll filling) during Mezi Matičkama back in September—a magical time period celebrating Svátek Panny Marie Kořenné/Our Lady of the Root/Herbs. I’ll have a full post later with the recipe and links but I’m still up to my elbows in baking right now!
So Thanksgiving just passed apparently? I didn't notice because I live in France, and you know, it is not celebrated anywhere in Europe...
In fact, Thanksgiving is usually presented as the only holiday celebrated in the USA that is "purely" American, unlike Halloween (which comes from the All Hallows Eve of the British Isles) or Christmas (Santa Claus is just the grandson of European Father Christmas or Saint Nicolas). And yes, Thanksgiving is an essential American holiday, which only works for the USA and is recognized by everybody as such...
... And yet it also has European roots! Ha! Wasn't expecting that, huh? Mind you Thanksgiving is a very BIG reinvention compared to its original European counterpart, but it is still a direct descendant of... Martinmas. Saint Martin's Day. La saint Martin if you're French. 11th of November.
It was a BIG big rural holiday back then. The official end of the harvest season, the beginning of winter. The big date on which all rural hirings, negociations and deals were made - new workers hired, old workers let go of. The original opening of the Advent (the awaiting time and preparation time for Christmas - and thus Martinmas was technically the opening of the "Christmas season"), before the Advent was reduced to just December.
Sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Old Halloween" because, on the continent, it was upon THIS date that children went down the streets carrying vegetable lanterns, asking for treats and candies (which, funnily enough, was sometimes said to be the poop of saint Martin's donkey turned into sweets for the kids). It could also be called an "old Christmas" as it used to be THE big rival to saint Nicolas's Day for the "gift-giving night during which a riding bearded saint gives food and presents to children" (saint Nicolas' Day won).
And more importantly, it was on Saint Martin's Day that a huge "thanks meal" was organized, a communal feast to thank the workers for their hard work, to thank the earth for its bounty, to thank God for the product of the earth, sometimes to honor the spirits of the deceased, a feast centered around the "bird of Saint Martin", THE traditional meat of Martinmas... a goose.
Sounds familiar? A clue: the Pilgrim Fathers had to do with what they had when they decided to cook. Hence a change to the menu.
Source: The Enchanted World, The Book of Christmas, Time-Life Books
Today is Martinmas or St Martin’s Day. Martin was a fourth century saint allocated to the traditional feast day of the Roman god of wine, a debauched character called Bacchus. This probably explains the copious amount of ale and wine traditionally drunk at Martinmas and the legend that Martin could cure drunkenness. He was also the patron saint of vintners. Martin also became associated with the transition from autumn to winter. At Martinmas, in commemoration of Martin’s alleged death after being gored by a bull, cattle were slaughtered in large numbers, which in actual fact was probably a holy connection with the necessary practice of laying down salted beef to help the peasantry survive the hard medieval winters. Martin was also supposed to have given away his cloak to a beggar shivering in the winter cold. This tradition is behind the belief that on his feast day, St Martin can be seen on horseback riding across the fields and meadows bringing the first snow of winter billowing out from the folds of his cloak.
Most Martinmas traditions have been replaced by the sombre commemoration of Armistice Day in the U.K., when wreaths are laid at the Cenotaph in memory of the British dead of the two World Wars and later conflicts. The Last Post is sounded at the ceremony and a two minute silence is observed from 11am. The Armistice that effectively ended the First World War was signed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.
Anthony Van Dyck ~ "St. Martin Dividing His Cloak" (c.1618)
Happy Martinmas!
Today marks the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, who was bishop there from 371 CE until his death in 397 CE. He is the patron saint of many things, including: against poverty, against alcoholism, the poor, cavalry, Buenos Aires, quartermasters, wool-weavers, soldiers, and tailors, as well as wine growers, makers, and sellers. Whew! He must be very busy.
Keep reading for info about his life, a snitch goose, where the word 'chapel' came from, and how to tell what the weather will be like at Christmas.
His Life
Much of what we know about Martin comes from his hagiographer, Sulpicius Severus, who includes some 'artistic license' that is common in chronicles of the time, and therefore must be taken with a grain of salt.
Martin was born anywhere from 316-336 CE in Savaria, now Szombathely, Hungary. His father was a senior officer in the Roman Army, and as such was given land in northern Italy for his retirement. At the age of 10, Martin attended a Christian church against the wishes of his parents, and became interested in Christianity. Because of his father's status as a veteran, he was required to join the cavalry at 15. Dates surrounding his military service are shaky, but Severus states that, during his time stationed in Gaul, he was riding on horseback when he encountered a poor man with threadbare clothes. Having compassion on him, Martin used his sword to cut his own woolen cloak in two and gave the other half to the man. That night, Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream, surrounded with angels and wearing half of the cloak. After this, Martin was baptised as a Christian. Though other miracles of his are recorded, this tale is the one most associated with Martin's life. It fits in with depictions of God or his angels in disguise as a beggar, traveller, &c., and is also a narrative found in many other religions and traditions. (Biblical examples include Abraham feeding the three angels in Genesis 18).
Martin dips from the army ~ fresco by Simone Martini (c.1320s)
With his new faith now firmly a part of his life, Martin decided to leave the army. Before a battle near modern-day Worms, Germany, Martin went before Emperor Julian and refused his salary, saying, "I am the soldier of Christ: it is not lawful for me to fight." They threw him in prison for this, but due to ye olde extenuating circumstances, he was released and discharged without further incident.
Martin made his way to modern-day Tours in France and declared himself a hermit, becoming a disciple and friend of Hilary of Tours. Because Christianity was Not OK™ in the Roman Empire, he and Hilary faced a lot of discrimination, including corporal punishment and exile. After converting his mother to Christianity and having numerous adventures, like living pretty much alone on an island, he and Hilary settled down in and around Poitiers, where Martin established Ligugé Abbey. It is the oldest known monastery in Europe! Martin made it his home base while he preached throughout western Gaul.
In 371 CE, the bishop of Tours died, and Martin was considered a good candidate for a successor. However, he liked living as a hermit and monk, and they resorted to tricking him into coming to Tours and then forced him to become the bishop. Legend holds that he tried to hide in a barn, but a honking goose gave him away. Hence he is the patron saint of geese, which I think is adorable. Martin proved true to his hermit ways, living very simply in huts with his monks. He established a rudimentary parish system, through which he visited different Christian communities and established monasteries. He was very determined in his efforts to convert local Pagans, as well as protect Christian institutions from unfriendly sects in the area, and in some cases he was successful. He died in 371 CE, already a venerated man. His popularity was ensured by his adoption by various French royals and by the Third Republic as a national symbol.
Martin has been portrayed by several famous artists, including Van Dyck, Peter Bruegel the Elder, and El Greco. He is usually portrayed on horseback, dividing his cloak for the poor man, though occasionally he can be seen riding a donkey. This references another story in his life about the time where he met the Devil and outwitted him. It also connects him to the image of Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem (recounted in Mark 1:1-11).
Martinmas and its Traditions
Martin lent his legacy to a host of English words and phrases, including those relating to the word 'chapel'. Temporary buildings that held the relic of his cloak (cappa in Latin) were referred to as cappella, and hence the word 'chapel' was born. A similar thing happened to the word 'chaplain', which derived from the word for the priest in charge of the cloak.
Though the Anglo-Saxon church did celebrate St. Martin to some extent, more references to Martinmas celebrations begin to crop up after Norman Conquest of 1066, when the Frenchman William the Conqueror invaded England. Supposedly, he promised to build an abbey dedicated to Martin if his invasion of England was successful. William was very likely familiar with the early Mediaeval association of the battle-hungry rulers of France with St. Martin, and was possibly responsible for his increased popularity in England.
In England and Scotland, and indeed through much of western Europe, Martinmas became a celebration marking the culmination of the harvest and the beginning of winter. From the late fourth century through the late Middle Ages, it also served a similar purpose to Mardi Gras/Carnivale: a period of fasting was ordained for the day after Martinmas through Christmas, so Martinmas was your last chance to stuff your face for a long time! (This period later became Advent, though with much laxer rules). As such, it was a time for feasting, celebration, bonfires, getting really drunk, and even events such as bull-running, as in Stamford, Lincolnshire. It was also a time for the end-of-harvest tasks, such as sowing winter wheat and slaughtering pigs and cattle. An old English saying goes, "His Martinmas will come, as it does to every hog", meaning, "they will get their comeuppance" or "everyone dies someday". Due to Martin's association with geese, some celebrated with a roast goose, but in Britain particularly it was also popular to eat salted pork or beef. For those not rich enough to have a goose, a duck or hen would also suffice. Other traditional fare included black pudding, haggis, and the first wine of the season.
On the business side of things, Martinmas served as a quarter day in Scotland and in parts England. A quarter day was one of four days on which major legal business was conducted. Servants and labourers would be hired or let go, rent was paid, contracts would begin or end, &c. Hiring fairs would be held for agricultural labourers seeking employment, and there would also be entertainment, food, trading, and other scenes of merriment. One of the most famous Martinmas fairs was at Nottingham in England, which lasted eight days.
Like many other English holidays, there is weather folklore associated with Martinmas. To have a warm fall and winter is to have a "St. Martin's Summer". If Martinmas proves an icy day, Christmas (or the rest of the winter) will be very warm. The rhyme puts it more pithily: "If the geese at Martin's Day stand on ice, they will walk in mud at Christmas".
If you stand at the back of the church and observe the congregation on Martinmas, those with a halo of light around their heads will not be alive by next Martinmas.
Interior of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, with a funky window!
The church of St. Martin-in-the-fields in Trafalgar Square in London is named after Martin. Many people commemorated there are associated with his anti-war sentiments -- these include Vera Brittain, a memoirist and pacifist; and Dick Sheppard, founder of the Peace Pledge Union. The church also supports houseless and vulnerably housed people.
The holiday gradually fell out of practice due to the English Reformation (when England split from the Catholic Church throughout the 1500s) and the Interregnum (Puritan republican government, 1649-1660). The observance of Armistice Day on the same day largely overshadowed the holiday in the UK, though many regions in Western Europe still take part in traditional festivities.
Martinmas is celebrated on 12 October in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
If You're Still Interested...
"The Life of St. Martin" by Sulpicius Severus himself! (pdf)
Pot Roast Martimas Beef Recipe by Chatsworth House
Sources
Historic UK
Wikipedia (Martin of Tours)
Wikipedia (St. Martin's Day)
Fisheaters.com
The Encyclopedia of Saints by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
"Medieval English "Martinmesse": The Archaeology of a Forgotten Festival" by Martin Walsh (via jstor)
In many parts of Germany it is traditional for children to participate in a procession of paper lanterns in remembrance of St. Martin. They make their own little lanterns in school or kindergarten and then gather on city streets to sing songs about good old Marty and their lanterns.
When I choose the name Martín, I didn't looked onto the saints with this name. But when I read about Martinmas on @graveyarddirt tumblr casually, I got to look, both San Martín Caballero and Martín de Porres and fuuuuuuuuck, everything fell on place.
Me, after 4 years looking for the right name and "choosing" Martín less than 24 hours after thinking in this name, discovering about San Martín:
I have this belief that sometimes, a name is not exactly chosen, but given. My son have a very neutral name, and since he is 17, I explained that if he wants to change his name, it's his right. (we got some good laws about it recently).
Because names have power, and names are signs. Signs about who is you, and what is your place in the world.
(sometimes it's just a stupid adult shit choice, and that's how people end with other names, or with nicknames and alias that totally substitute their law names)
But Saint Martín has so much connections with my practices and world visions.
( that I'm totally the person that will hide in a goose pen to avoid been bishop is already the joke in my house about why I got so moved by figuring this San Martín situation)
And today found me making preparations to my first Martinmas/ Dia de San Martín Caballero, reading about his celebrations across the world, and loving every minute of it.
Where I live, November is a dreary month. It’s cold, it’s dark, it’s rainy. Halloween is over, it’s not Christmas yet. I’m German, so there is no Thanksgiving to look forward to either. So I’ve been thinking. What can I do to make this month a bit more magical?
Seasonal food
According to Bede, November used to be called bloodmonath on the British Isles. This was because starting with Samhain, the livestock that could not be fed throughout the winter would be culled, which meant that meat was plenty available.
Martinmas on November 11 marked the last day of the agrarian year, and was thus celebrated. In Germany, farmhands and domestics were paid on this day. It was customary to also gift them with some of the slaughtered poultry. To this day, St Martin’s goose (Martinsgans) remains a popular dish served on Martinmas.
Now, I’ve been a vegetarian for such a long time, that I never really learned how to cook with meat and it’s not something I plan on starting anytime soon. What I am trying to do, however, is learning which produce is in season where I live. Here is a resource for Germany.
Reflecting on death and the afterlife
For most Wiccans and pagans Samhain is the day most associated with death and the afterlife. On the Wiccan wheel of the year, Samhain is the point in time, when the God arrives in the Summerland. Since he is only reborn at Yule, the time between the two festivals lends itself for reflecting a bit more on death and the afterlife if you are Wiccan.
But it’s not just Wiccans who associate this time with death. Catholics celebrate All Soul’s Day on November 1. In Germany, Protestants observe the Sunday of the Dead (Totensonntag) on the last Sunday before the Advent. More recently, there is also the People’s Day of Mourning (Volkstrauertag) which commemorates the victims of armed conflicts.
I’ve recently lost a family member and it got me thinking a bit more about what I believe what happens after we die.
Some questions you may ask yourself or could use as grimoire prompts are:
Is there an afterlife and what does it look like? (You can research existing concepts, from both pagan traditions or world religions to get an idea of what others believe.)
What would you like your funeral to look like?
Do you believe in reincarnation?
Do you believe that ghosts exist?
Can we communicate with the dead? How? And would you like to?
What are folk customs surrounding death where you come from/where you live?
Do you have any unresolved conflicts with the dead that you need to work through?
How can you honour the people that came before you?
Are you accepting the responsibility of the actions of the generations before you?
Sharing
Now, don’t quote me on this, because I definitely have not read my Bible, but one key aspect of Martinmas is also the act of sharing. Now that it is getting more and more unfriendly outside, it is important that we look out for the vulnerable members of our community. If you can support the homeless in your area in some form, this would be a good time. You could also research if there are mutual aid activities where you live that you could contribute or benefit from. I’ve only taken baby-steps into this direction, but I’ve already located a food sharing/saving shelf in the neighbourhood that I now frequent quite regularly.
Getting some rest
Martinmas on November 11 marked the end of the agrarian year. In Germany, the week after used to be called Schlamperwoche (slob week) and was a time of rest where only the essential tasks where done.
I think that is something that we could adopt. In our modern life, we’ve forgotten that winter used to be a time of rest. Of course, capitalism demands to we remain productive at all times. So for those of us with a full-time job, it can be difficult to find time to rest. What we can do, however, is cut ourselves some slack in our time off. It’s okay if we don’t do the laundry today. It’s okay if we don’t exercise. Let’s give ourselves some self-compassion. It’s dark and cold and our animal instincts tell us to preserve energy.
If winter means you’re feeling down a lot, make sure that you think about some coping strategies that can help you get out of a slump. Reach out to friends, turn on all the lights. You could also ask your doctor if counselling, therapy or medication might help you combat the symptoms of seasonal depression, if you haven’t already. In Europa, many universities have a hotline that you can call if you need someone to talk to (Nightline).
Arts and crafts
As we’re spending more time inside, November is the perfect time to do some arts and crafts and pick up other hobbies again. Whether it’s knitting, baking, or working on our Books of Shadow.
One tradition about Martinmas that I’ve always really liked are lantern processions. I’m not sure if this is a German custom or more widely spread. Making some lanterns would be a cool crafts project for November, to bring some light into our homes. Either paper lanterns like the ones used in the processions, or you could upcycle some glass jars. You can glue on tracing paper or paper napkins in colours you like, spray paint or draw something on the glass with a marker. YouTuber Molly Roberts has created a tutorial on making ancestor lanterns that might be inspiring.
You could also gift these little lanterns to family and friends. Generally, November might be a good time to start thinking about presents if you’ll be exchanging them at Christmas or Yule. If you’re planning to buy something, you can avoid the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, and if you want to DIY a gift, you have enough time to do so. Another idea would be to think about whether there is any belonging that you’d like to get rid off that might still make someone you know happy.
I hope you found this post useful. If you do end up crafting some lanterns I would love to see them! I am planning to make some soon and will add them to the post.
