Celebrating Sint Maarten: From Lanterns to Cow Tails
Source: pexels.com
Each year on the 11th of November the people of the Netherlands and Belgium celebrate the holiday ‘Sint-Maarten’ (St. Martin’s Day). In this article we’ll briefly go into the background of Sint Maarten, the traditions, the songs, as well as how you yourself can prepare and participate.
A little background
Sint Maarten is an old festival that was named after St. Martin of Tours. St. Martin was a Frenchman who was known for his kind acts towards strangers. The story goes that on a freezing cold 11th of November day in history, he used his sword to cut his cloak in half and gave half of it to a stranger in need. Traditionally this day also marked the beginning of Winter and the annual harvest feast.The traditions
Sint Maarten is mostly a holiday that is celebrated by children and youngsters. Superficially the traditions are quite similar to those of Halloween as the celebration includes colourful lanterns, asking for sweets, knocking on doors, and singing songs, but the meaning and history of Sint Maarten is of course quite different.Traditionally the lanterns for the celebration were made from hollowed-out beets and turnips, but in modern times they are often crafted out colourful pieces of craft paper and cardboard. Before the celebration the children craft their lanterns (often at school), get a bag ready for collecting treats and practice their songs.
The songs
There are too many Sint Maarten songs to count on two hands, but there are a few very popular ones that children throughout the country sing most often. Those two songs are Elf November and Sinte, Sinte Maarten. Below I will share the Dutch lyrics with the English translation as well as a link to the song, so you can learn them.
Elf November
Elf November is de dag (November 11th is the day)
Dat mijn lichtje (That my light)
Dat mijn lichtje (That my light)
Elf November is de dag (November 11th is the day)
Dat mijn lichtje branden mag (That my light can burn)
Want to listen to the song? You can do so here.
Sinte, Sinte Maarten
Sinte, Sinte Maarten (Saint, Saint Martin)
De koeien hebben staarten (The cows have tails)
De meisjes hebben rokjes aan (The girls are wearing skirts)
Daar komt Sinte Maarten aan (There comes Saint Martin)
Want to listen tot he song? You can do so here.
How to participate
If Sint Maarten sounds like a fun celebration for you to participate in and you’re currently staying in the Netherlands or Belgium, here are some of ideas for how to join the fun! You could practice the songs, make a lantern and go out into your neighbourhood with friends and sing in exchange for some treats. But if you prefer a staying cozy night at home, you can find joy in gathering treats like mandarins, raisin boxes and liquorice. You can put all of these treats in a large bowl so that when the doorbell rings on the 11th of November, you can simply listen to the songs and let the singers choose a treat from the bowl.
-
Let’s share!
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and that you feel inspired to join the festivities this year! You can let us know in the forums here what your favorite Sint Maarten song is and how you are planning to participate in the celebration this year. My plan this year is to gather some treats to hand out to the children in the neighbourhood for when my doorbell rings on the 11th and they sing Sint Maarten songs for me.Until next time!
Marieke, OLS Community Manager - Dutch
Source: pexels.com