Martinmas, or the festival of St. Martin, is celebrated around November 11 in Waldorf schools with a nighttime lantern walk—often with songs followed by autumn treats. Like Halloween, Martinmas is rooted in Christian ritual but is now more of a cultural event, anticipated by children in many European countries. Martinmas dates back to the Middle Ages and the veneration of St. Martin, a 4th-century bishop who founded an abbey in Tours, France. Martin was a Roman horse soldier who converted to Christianity; according to legend, one wintry day he encountered a shivering beggar and cut his cloak in half to give the poor man warmth.
Martin is now the patron saint of tailors, as well as that of France. Traditionally, Martinmas coincided with the many busy activities around farms in late fall. Any remaining late crops in the fields, such as winter squash, would be harvested before the deep snow falls; it was also the time to plant winter wheat, which came up in early spring and provided flour for the new year.
The bounty of the late harvest, fresh wine, and the slaughter of animals naturally suggested a feast day. As such, Martinmas was a precursor to the American holiday of Thanksgiving , and is still marked in Europe with sumptuous meals, often of roast goose.
In Germany, suckling pig is prepared in the town square. Centuries ago, bishops in some European countries ordered fasting for several days a week from Martinmas to Epiphany—a period of 56 days. Among the more unusual Martinmas traditions no longer observed was the invocation in Ireland that no wheel shall turn on the feast day—in respect for the fact that Martin was killed by being tossed into a mill stream and crushed under the paddlewheel.
You want to tear pieces that aren't too small. The smaller they are, the harder it will be to stick them to your glass jar and the more time it will take, so I like palm-sized pieces. And then I just put my torn pieces in a big bowl until I have enough to cover the jar. Mix about two parts glue to one part water in a cup with your brush. You probably want to put newspaper down on your table if you're working with children. If the wet tissue paper gets on wood it will stain.
Simply use the brush to apply some glue on a small section of the glass, then stick a piece of tissue paper over the wet glue.
You can also spread more glue on top to really seal the paper on and smooth it out. It's nice when the pieces overlap, it can make beautiful secondary colors that shine through. And if you find that a color is too pale, you can just go ahead and put another piece over to intensify it.
I find it's more interesting the more layers you put on. However, you want to be aware that the more layers you put on, the more opaque your lantern will be and the less light will shine through.
Knot it pretty tightly, you don't want the handle to fall off while your child is carrying the lantern with a lit candle. Find the right length for the handle—you want the hand to be far enough away from the candle so it doesn't get hot—and cut it a few inches longer so that you have a bit of a tail.
You can unravel the knitting to make the tail, then pull it tight. Thread that tail through the finger knit chain on the opposite side and tie it very securely. You want to make sure it's really opposite the other side of the handle so that the lantern is balanced when you hold it. Stick it to the bottom of the tea light, make sure your wick is standing straight up, and affix it to the bottom of the jar. To light it, you might want to make sure you have long stick matches that will reach down into the jar or one of those long grill lighters.
To finish, I just thought I would share my favorite lantern song which I've sung before on my Autumn Songs video. The words go like this:. From France comes the story of St.
Martin, who as a young man passed under an archway of the city of Amiens and discovered a poor beggar huddled there. The man was barely clothed, and shivering with cold. On seeing him, the young Martin took his cape from his own shoulders, tore the garment in half, and covered the poor man to warm him. The following night Martin had a dream in which he saw an angel wearing this same piece of his cape. The experience confirmed in him his devotion to all mankind regardless of their station in life.
Martin went on to become patron saint of beggars and outcasts, and was known for his gentleness, his unassuming nature and his ability to bring warmth and light to those in need. As we journey into the darkest time of the year, it is increasingly important for each of us to kindle warmth and light in our hearts.
The gently glowing lanterns of Martinmas will give way to the candles of the advent spiral as we draw nearer to the Solstice, showing how our inner light must shine ever brighter against the cold.
As nature sleeps, we must be wakeful!
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