Did Anyone Grow Up Celebrating St. Martin’s Day?

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We just passed St. Martin’s Day on November 11th, and it made me think about how many sweet traditions are tied to it, especially if you grew up in Europe.

When I was little, we used to make colorful paper lanterns, bundle up, and walk through the streets singing songs about St. Martin. The whole evening was about kindness and sharing, remembering the story of St. Martin giving his cloak to someone who needed it. It’s such a gentle, beautiful tradition.

I’m curious…
Did anyone else grow up celebrating St. Martin’s Day?
Or maybe you’ve introduced your kids or grandkids to lantern walks?

Would love to hear what traditions you remember (or still keep!).

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I didn’t grow up with it, but I love the traditions associated with this day! I know some friends who go on lantern walks with their children to mark this day.

I’m curious where it is primarily celebrated in Europe? I have strong European heritage with many traditions passed down, but I’m surprised this was not one I grew up with. Is it associated with a certain denomination? I know there is the symbolism of the lights in the darkest part of the year.

I really don’t know much about it. I’d love to learn more!

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I didn’t actually celebrate saint martins day as a holiday when I was little, but we definitely knew several English lyrics to his song. You mean Martin of Tours? He wrote Oro Sed Bathile Bhoile, which means “Heavens Streets are paved with gold”. It’s big in modern Ireland and used to be the state ding of Hue.

Abraham Lincoln interpreted it as “A Nation Once Again”, and it’s also “His Banner Over Me Is Love”. Actually, it’s also the state song of Zimbabwe, whose capital is Harare, which means something in French too. That’s a famous, famous song. It’s sung as Streets of Larado, and “Going to El Dorado”.

Like, every single solitary American civil war song is Martin’s Oro, because of the way war and economics are, and because Lincoln liked it and wrote A Nation Once Again. Irish rebels sing the same number as “No Priest and no Flag”.

Martins Oro was written by Martin the first, architect of Versailles, on his way to Jerusalem during the first crusade. Actually for those of us with interest in history, the crusades are separately numbered country by country. Heavens Streets was written for the first French crusade, it’s a three part round, and for heavens streets (there are several versions).

Heavens streets are paved with gold:

Verse one, “Christ will lead the way”

Verse two: “We will leans the way” or more literally “France will lead the way.”

And finally “I will lead the way”.

It counts as a military oath in France, and was recited in detail by the captain of the Chester, a ship that fought in Camryn harbor, also known as Hiphong or the Gulf of Tonkin.

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