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St. Ann
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Nov. 11 is not just the feast of Saint Martin , but in centuries past was the beginning of Advent! Yes, indeed! 6 weeks of Advent!
It marks the beginning of Carnival here in Germany and it is a big deal for Carnival lovers - seriously!
On 11-11-2011 at 11:11 am there were so many wanting to civilly marry in Cologne (the capitol of Carnival). There was a newly wed couple coming out of the town hall every 10 minutes dressed in Carnival attire the whole day long.!!!   crazy, I know. But you get an idea of the importance of Carnival to some people .
The connection: On 11-11 people really let loose and then the fasting began until Christmas. Just like right before Ash Wednesday and Lent.
Anyway, I just learned this last week and wanted to share with someone who might just be a little bit interested! 
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Stephanie
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anitamarie
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That's so interesting! Thanks for sharing! My in-laws just came back from Germany, they visited Cologne and loved it. Sounds like they missed all the fun, though!
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MaryM
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St. Ann wrote:
| Nov. 11 is not just the feast of Saint Martin , but in centuries past was the beginning of Advent! Yes, indeed! 6 weeks of Advent! |
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I was aware of that, but don't really know the history of the changes to the shorter Advent and connection to St. Andrew's feast. Hoping Jenn has some insight.
Thanks for sharing this interesting cultural aspect to St. Martin and the Advent season.
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Mary M. in Denver
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SeaStar
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Oh, my goodness! Tomorrow is ds's birthday. Why am I not surprised to hear that his birthday is a day of great carousing and feasting?
Of course he would be born on 11-11. I can't wait to tell him about this.
Thanks for passing this along!
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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JennGM
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I had heard of it! I'm in the middle of writing a piece for Catholic Culture and that is one of the areas I was digging more deeply.
It's a bit confusing. The early church was still defining doctrine, fighting against heresies and still trying to convert barbarians, and the liturgy wasn't uniformly or universally practiced. There are all sorts of conflicting information. The region of Gaul (where Tours was the center) had an Advent beginning with November 12, the day after St. Martin's day. The math doesn't quite add up, because the number of days equals 43, and subtracting Sundays it's even less than 40, but generally this was the practice, to either not fast on Saturdays and Sundays, or just fast 3 times a week until Christmas (but some areas didn't celebrate Christmas, so the fast went all the way until Epiphany, so 8 weeks!).
So the 4, 6, or 8 week Advents were celebrated in different regions, and finally the 4 week Roman Advent won out in the 10th century.
I'm limited by lack of knowing German and French. St. Martin was definitely a French at the beginning, as Trier was part of Gaul in the Roman Empire. Now it's part of Germany.
I can't find the historical connection of the lantern tradition. I can only trace it to the Germanic lands, and not before the 19th century, so more Protestant or Waldorf connections? I only found one source that points the lanterns as the connection to the lucernarium of the Vespers, and St. Martin founded 2 monasteries and practiced the praying of the psalms around the hours (at his tomb was the "perpetual praise" of the monks praying the Divine Office in its early stages).
And other connection is that at his time of the 4th century, the Church was just beginning to be in the public. St. Martin spent much time destroying pagan temples, converting pagans, and dispelling demons--bringing the Light of Christ to all.
Stephanie, if you ever come across older Catholic books that talk about traditions, I'm curious about the lantern processions.
The Polish have St. Martin coming on a white horse bringing gifts to children....in Hungary St. Nicholas does this. These two saints are often considered parallel saints, St. Martin for the West and St. Nicholas for the East.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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St. Ann
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When did the Church make the change from January 6 to December 25 to celebrate Christmas? How many days from St. Andrews' to Epiphany?
Jenn, do you mean Tours? In Germany we say he came from Tours which is very french. His influence is still strong in Cologne and Trier!
I will try to get the information you are looking for. I am grateful for the challenge!
ETA: I am so glad you all in the US are still asleep, so that I have a chance to correct my blatant errors  !
Martin was Bishop of Tours, but was born in Hungary, but of course a roman citizen.
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Stephanie
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St. Ann
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Dieser Umzug ist Teil der Lichtsymbolik, die an Allerseelen beginnt und über die Advents- und Weihnachtszeit bis Lichtmess (2. Februar) andauert. Das ursprüngliche traditionelle Martinsfeuer wurde inzwischen fast überall von den Martinsumzügen abgelöst. Der Ursprung des Martinsfeuers geht zurück auf die germanischen Wintersonnwendfeiern und das germanischen Erntedankfest: damals wurden Freudenfeuer veranstaltet, die zugleich aber auch reinigende Feuer waren. Vorbild der Lichterumzüge ist die liturgischen Lichterprozession (lat.: Lucernarium, deutsch: Zeit des Lampenanzündens) während der ersten Vesper am Vorabend eines hohen Feiertages.
This procession is part of the symbol of light that began on the Feast of All Souls' through Advent and Christmas until "Mass of Light" Presentation of Our Lord on the 2nd of Feb. The original traditional Martin's Fire (a huge bonfire) has been replaced almost everywhere with the Martin's Procession. The source of the Martin's Fire goes back to the german tribes winter solstice celebrations and the tribal thanksgivingfeasts for the harvest. At that time they had "Joy Fires(?)" which were at the same time also "cleansing or purifying" fires. The model for the procession of lights is from the liturgical (Lucernarium: time of lamp lighting) during the first Vespers on the vigil of a high Feast day.
I got this info online at Feiern-online.de
I will try to find more information.
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St. Ann
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Martinmass
A thread from 2 years ago
How quickly I forget!!!
Every year it is once again new for me, that by the time the next year Feast day arrives, I've already forgotten what I learned the year before. Anyway, maybe all this information will settle in a bit deeper in my being.
Dr. Manfred Becker-Huberti is a specialist in the history and traditions celebrated through the Church year especially in the Diocese of Cologne. I couldn't find anything translated, but I will summarize what I think is interesting.
I'll get back to you.
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Stephanie
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JennGM
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I forget, too. I read Pernoud's book and could barely remember what I read!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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St. Ann wrote:
When did the Church make the change from January 6 to December 25 to celebrate Christmas? How many days from St. Andrews' to Epiphany?
Jenn, do you mean Tours? In Germany we say he came from Tours which is very french. His influence is still strong in Cologne and Trier!
I will try to get the information you are looking for. I am grateful for the challenge!
ETA: I am so glad you all in the US are still asleep, so that I have a chance to correct my blatant errors !
Martin was Bishop of Tours, but was born in Hungary, but of course a roman citizen. |
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Martin started in Trier, and founded a monastery which is still in operation. Trier and Tours battled over the body of St. Martin.
So part of me think that's root of the German devotion.
The development of the liturgy and the liturgical year took centuries. Epiphany was the first feast of manifestation and baptism; Christmas was added later. The beginnings of Advent were varied in 4, 6 or 8 week preparation periods, until they all accepted the 4 week before Christmas. The 8 week preparation would have meant until Epiphany, not Christmas.
The more I research, I don't think Martinmas was a "Mardi Gras", but it was another one of his feast days (there were many on the calendar).
I have a post at Catholic Culture which stresses more of his life than the traditions.
I have more questions than answers regarding St. Martin. One is there a definite connection with Armistice/Veterans' Day and Martinmas? Or was it chosen because of the 11-11?
And I'm unsure if the tomb of St. Martin also included the cape of St. Martin. One source said it was saved and can be seen, but I can't find any proof online. Seems there would pictures or something.
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MaryM
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JennGM wrote:
I have more questions than answers regarding St. Martin. One is there a definite connection with Armistice/Veterans' Day and Martinmas? Or was it chosen because of the 11-11? |
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This was posted on Aquinas and More's newsletter today:
Quote:
| St. Martin's Day also became a traditional day to sign peace treaties. Is it a coincidence that the armistice ending World War I was signed on St. Martin's Day? It may have just been poetics that King George V chose the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month for the signing, but the fact that it fell on the feast day of saint who gave up his arms and became a martyr is God's kind of coincidence. |
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I have never seen anything to indicate it was because of St. Martin is was chosen, but as this quote says it definitely is a God-incedence.
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Mary M. in Denver
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Kelly
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All i know is that St Martin is -among other things-the patron saint of horses! If he was in the Roman cavalry, he HAD to have loved his horse:-) As such, we honor him on his feast day and our horse barn is dedicated to him:-) When they were little, my kids used to make candles with horse silhouettes that we'd process with-not sure where that idea came originated One of these days we'll do it on horseback! Another traditional Martinmass activity is eat a traditional roast goose for dinner-which wd def be in keeping w the idea of blowing it out with rich foods b4 the fasting of Advent began,. Sadly, today all we could come up with was a roast chicken to serve as a sort of pseudo-goose substitute, alas. In.Lucca, Italy, there is a beautiful Cathedral of St Martin with a lovely old old carved statue of the good saint on horseback. I would attach a pic if I knew how!
Kelly in FL
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Nov. 11
