Family in Feast and Feria

It's November 11 already? How time flies! Well all my best-laid plans...this post will be much shorter, probably to your relief! Today is the Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, also known as Martinmas in England or Martintag in Germany.

So many customs are associated with this day. This 4RealLearning Thread has all sorts of ideas and links related to this day.

A wonderful book to read about this saint is Martin of Tours: Soldier, Bishop, Saint by Regine Pernoud, translated by Michael J. Miller. I really enjoy Regine Pernoud's books, and this is no exception. She bases the biographical information on St. Martin on the writings of his contemporary and companion, Sulpitius Severus and gives the historical perspective. It's quite interesting and inspiring. I haven't finished the book, but a few thoughts I thought I would share:

This is just trivial information, but it piqued my interest. Although the most common picture of St. Martin is the depiction of him as a Roman soldier cutting his cape in half for the beggar, who turns out to be Jesus. I realize now the coloring is incorrect. It's usually painted as a red cape, but Pernoud explains:

The white chlamys or cape was the uniform of that elite guard which served the emperor, the members of which were called candidati, which means "men clothed in white". It was a cloak with a slit, fastened at the right shoulder with a brooch; the upper part of it was lined with lambskin, and perhaps it was that lined part that Martin cut off with his sword to give to the beggar.

St. Martin was born 3 or 4 years after the Edict of Milan, where Constantine declared the Christians were free to practice in the public. So he was born after the age of martyrs. His life showed true saintly qualities to earn him to becoming the first non-martyr saint.

What really impresses me in reading his life is is the zeal and love for Christ and His Church. He gave all to the poor, prayed, fasted, and many miracles worked through. What a contrast to our era. We live in such a lukewarm age...where is our faith? We witness so few miracles now...and I wonder is it because our faith isn't even the size of a mustard seed, and our spiritual lives so shallow that we can't get our faith to grow? I'm the first to accuse myself. Here I am rising late, sipping my coffee in a warm, comfortable home. Where is my prayer, my fasting, my sacrifices, my spiritual and corporal works of mercy? Through the intercession of St. Martin help me see my indifference and ignite my soul so that I may persevere.

So many miracles worked through him or his intercession even after his death. A pilgrimage to see his tomb was the second most popular pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, after St. Peter's in Rome. St. James Compostela in Spain was third, and usually those pilgrims to see St. James basilica stopped by at the tomb of St. Martin's on the way. Sadly, the basilica and the relics were destroyed first by the Huguenots and what was restored also suffered destruction during the French Revolution. I spent a good amount of time yesterday trying to find out if any relics remain, as there was mention that small amounts were rescued. Some remains of the original basilica have been found and trying to restore. If anyone has links or information that might have photos or more information about relics or the church, please let me know.

One of my sisters has in-laws from Germany. One cousin-in-law brought back some authentic St. Martin's Day paper lanterns. So tonight we hope to have a bonfire, a little St. Martin's parade and family fun. There are similar to these instructions, so yesterday I bought materials and attempted a homemade version. Instead of plain paper I bought some sheets of decorated vellum that has transparent qualities. The vellum has wonderful folding ability, also doesn't tear as easily. I bought thin dowels and cut them in half, and for lighting I used a battery operated LED votive light. I'd prefer something smaller, but this will work for now. I poked holes in the pole and used crochet thread to attach to the pole and the lantern. I also used craft sticks as suggested in the directions for the back of the lantern, poked holes and then attached to the crochet thread.

My first lantern took some time to figure out the directions. I skipped decorating with crayons or markers, as my paper had a design. It is a challenging project, requiring a bit more nimble fingers, so I'd say definitely it's more appropriate for older children or adults. It's a little time-consuming, at least for the first one. But since it will be used at night, the dark is all-forgiving and you can't see mistakes. The kids will love it!

I'm out of memory space on my blog right now, so I can't post the pictures directly here. Here's my Flickr compilation with explanations, and below some sneak previews. I'm struggling with getting them in the right order...but I'm out of time.

www.flickr.com

Now, the weather report. I love the old weather proverbs connected to some of the Church's feast days. Martinmas is no exception. Right now in Virginia we are experiencing some delightful warm, sunny weather. This is referred to St. Martin's Summer, or Indian Summer. But one other weather lore:

If the geese on St. Martin's Day (November 11) stand on ice, they will walk in mud at Christmas.

My favorite custom is geared towards grown-ups. Today in many places around the world the new wine would be blessed. St. Martin's wine or "Martiniloben" can then be tasted for the first time. Beaujolais Nouveau is frequently released on this day, and a perfect new wine to sip and toast to St. Martin!

St. Martin of Tours, pray for us.