Celebrating the Lesser Feast of Saint Martin with a Lantern Walk

He travels alone, Saint Martin
The holy Saint Martin

He’s riding his horse, Saint Martin
The holy Saint  Martin

On roadside there sits, an old old old man
The holy Saint Martin

Please give me some warmth, Saint Martin
O holy Saint Martin

He takes his cloak and cuts it in two
The holy Saint Martin

I am not an old an old old old man
O holy Saint Martin

I am your own dear lord
O holy Saint Martin

The church celebrates St. Martin of Tours today, November 11th. Martin is best known for cutting his cloak in half with his sword to share with a beggar. Afterward, he had a vision of Christ, wrapped in the half cloak. It’s a pretty simple story, which is one of the reasons it works so well for young children. My children attend a Waldorf school, and celebrating St. Martin has been a beloved tradition for us since the oldest was in preschool.

To prepare, the children hear the story of St. Martin, learn songs, and make simple lanterns. Over the years, my children have made lanterns by putting paper maché on balloons, decorating mason jars with colored tissue paper or leaves, or (ambitious craft alert!) dipping balloons in melted wax and then flattening leaves into the wax, to create a wax lantern. The lanterns are always given a handle, sometimes made of yarn, other times of wire, and a tea light is placed inside, usually in a bed of sand for safety.
On the day of the celebration at sunset, the children and their parents gather and hear the story of St. Martin. The storyteller varies the story based on the ages of the children present.

After the story, the lanterns are lit, and everyone forms a procession and walks, through the neighborhood or around a local park, singing songs about St. Martin or songs about lanterns. As the procession returns to its starting point everyone forms a circle and sings each song one last time. Afterward, sometimes we share soup or baked treats.

This is an easy practice to adapt to a family. If making lanterns is not your style, simple lanterns are available at various retail outlets. Two or more families could get together to share a lantern walk, or, if walking through the neighborhood with lanterns is too much, perhaps sharing a meal in lantern light would be more comfortable. A quick Google search for “Martinmas songs Waldorf” or “Martinmas songs lantern” will provide audio of various traditional songs, and they are easy to learn and meant to be sung a cappella.

Older children will be amused by the story that, when Martin was about to be chosen as bishop, he hid in a goose pen to avoid being selected. The geese made a racket and gave him away, and he eventually agreed to become bishop. For this reason, goose is a traditional food to eat at a Martinmas celebration, although my family has never gone this far.

Children who are older still can engage the story by considering what the modern version might be of cutting your cloak in half with your sword. Perhaps this is a time to create Blessing Bags—gallon-size zip closure plastic bags with socks, energy bars, a toothbrush and toothpaste, or other necessities that can be carried in the car and given to folks who ask for help.

Martinmas is a time for all of us to remember the themes of light in the darkness, and of our ability to keep our own lantern shining. May your Martinmas celebration be blessed!

I go with my lantern, my lantern goes with me

In heaven the stars are shining, here on earth shine we

So shine your light through the clear dark night

la bimma la bimma la bim

So shine your light through the clear dark night

la bimma la bimma la bim

[Editor’s Note: The song lyrics that open and close this post were taught to the author’s children at their Waldorf School. I searched and searched online but could not find author or copyright information. There are numerous YouTube videos featuring these songs sung by school communities though, and I highly recommend them as you prepare for your own Martinmas celebration this evening.  Faithfully, Allison]