Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten
De koeien
hebben staarten
De meisjes
hebben rokjes aan
Daar komt Sint
Martinus aan
Saint
Martin Saint Martin
The
cows have tails
The
girls wear skirts
Saint
Martin is coming
Sint Maarten
(St. Martin’s Day) is a Dutch holiday celebrated on November 11th in many parts
of the Netherlands. Traditionally regarded as a feast for the poor, Sint Maarten (the holiday) pays homage to the man, Saint Martin who is believed to have given his cloak to a beggar and subsequently dreamed that the same cloak was used to shroud Jesus. From the 4th century until the Middle Ages, much of Western Europe and Great Britain engaged in a period of fasting after the feast of Sint Maarten, known in English as “the forty days of St. Martin.” Over time, it became known by all as “Advent.”
Thought of as a “children’s feast day”, small groups of
children can be heard throughout the streets singing songs or reciting poems. These
processionals (called lampionnentocht, keuvelen or ruusbuzen) feature lanterns (lampion or lampionstok
when attached to sticks). Historically
lanterns were made from hollowed turnips or beets, although these days children
make their lanterns as paper decorations. The songs often include nonsensical,
satirical or humorous lyrics. They are believed to have originated as a way for
impoverished children to beg for food:
Sinte Maarten krikske vuur,
Leg de pannenkoeken op het vuur.
We hebben al zo lang gelopen
Nergens gaan de deuren open
Geef ons een pannekoek uit de pan.
St. Martin, make a cherry wood fire
and put the pancakes on.
We've been walking for so
long
and nobody's opened their
door.
Give us a pancake hot
from the pan.
Adults
often reward the children with sweet treats (snoep), much the same as
trick-or-treaters are rewarded on Halloween. Despite any similarities the two
holidays are not related. Halloween has its origin as a Celtic celebration and
Sint Maarten celebrates the locally famous medieval saint, bishop, and former Roman soldier, Martinus
van Tours.
11 november is
de dag
dat mijn
lichtje,
dat mijn
lichtje.
11 november is
de dag,
dat mijn
lichtje schijnen mag
November
11 is the day
My
light ,
My
light .
November
11 is the day,
which
allowed my light to shine
 |
| Snoep, traditional treats some of which are given to children on Sint Maarten |
Do they come to the house? Or do adults go into the street to distribute candy? Do they carry bags for their loot?
ReplyDeleteDo they come to the house? Or do adults go into the street to distribute candy? Do they carry bags for their loot?
ReplyDeleteThe children will ring the doorbells of houses where the porch lights are lit. I live in a secure apartment building so I went to the parking lot. I had four singers. The songs take about 15 seconds, and yes, they carry shopping bags for their loot. My four appeared to be calorie rich.
ReplyDelete