medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (11th November) is the feast day of
>
> Martin of Tours (d. 397) Martin was born in what is now Szombathely,
> Hungary, the son of a Roman army officer. At the age of 15 he joined the
> imperial cavalry, and five years later converted to Christianity (legend
> says that this was after he gave half his cloak to a beggar and had a
> vision of Christ). ** His tomb at Tours was a
> popular pilgrimage shrine for many centuries.
St Martin is a sort of godfather to the Church in Scotland, having (so
legend says) inspired Ninian on his way back from Rome with the monastic
idea which he [Ninian] then implemented at Whithorn, dedicating his church
to St Martin in the year Martin died.
My question, however, concerns the other thing I know about St Martin, which
is the lanterns... German children, and children in Steiner schools
everywhere, make little lanterns and carry them round on St Martin's day,
singing a song about it. Does anyone know why? Or is it simply the autumn
fire/light festival attaching itself to a major saint in the same way that
it became attached to All Saints Eve in Scotland?
Pat McIntosh-Spinnler
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