The Story of Sint-Maarten

On the 11th of November it’s Sint-Maarten. This children’s holiday is celebrated in several parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. In the evening, children will go door to door with homemade lanterns. They’ll sing a typical Sint-Maarten song and get some sweets in return. How did this holiday come to be? 

Sint-Maarten started as a catholic holiday, but religion is barely associated with it anymore. It’s celebrated on the 11th of November because that’s the funeral day of Saint Martin of Tours (315-397). He was one of the founders of Christianity in Gaul (present day France). He is the patron saint of soldiers, tailors, innkeepers, merchants and beggars. 

According to legend, as a Roman soldier he met a beggar one day at the gate of the Gallic city of Amiens. The pity he had for this man reportedly affected Sint Maarten so much that he decided to cut his precious cloak in two. He gave the beggar half of his cloak, the other half was officially the property of Rome and he could therefore not give it up. According to the legend, the poor man symbolized Christ. During the night, Christ himself is said to have appeared to Maarten and said: “I was naked and you clothed Me”. Martin saw the dream as a call and converted to Christianity. 

Another legend is about the lanterns. Sint Maarten's horse supposedly ran away in the evening. Helpful villagers then went looking for the animal with lanterns. That is why children still go door to door with homemade lanterns. 

Sint-Maarten is a so-called 'begging festival'. It was really a festival for the poor, who received some 'extras' (such as sugar beets or bread) on the 11th of November to get through the winter. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that interest in the holiday also increased among other layers of the population. The customs are different in each region and have changed over the years. For example, the connection with religion is no longer strong in most areas.  

On the evening of Sint-Maarten, many children go out with homemade lanterns with lights in them. On his day, children used to not have to go to school and it also became customary to treat them to sweets that day. Nowadays, children still have to do something for those sweets. They make a lantern and sing typical Sint-Maarten songs.  

Sint-Maarten isn’t as popular as other holidays like Sinterklaas. Only around 30% of children in the Netherlands go out into the streets on the 11th of November. However, the Leiden region is seeing a revival in children celebrating this holiday. The best way to find out if this is true for your area is asking your neighbours. This way you can find out how much candy you’d need to have in stock, and if your neighbour’s children will be out and about. Who knows, maybe your kids can join them for the evening of culture and fun!