Life: Idiotropic

Once a month we get the Pfarrebrief in our mail slot. It is the area's church newsletter that covers events for three different local churches. This newsletter is where I found the information for our local St. Martin's Day celebration. In Teveren, we'd met at the school and ended at the school is a purely secular celebration, but in Gillrath it was very different. I knew that we needed to be there at 5 and though that there may be a mass, but I wasn't sure. We walked to the church from our house and got there just as mass was starting, so we sat in a pew in the back - or mom and Kirk sat and I stood to keep tabs on the kids and deal with a squirmy Elise. St. Martin was on the stage with his traditional red robes and his long fake white beard and gold helmet. The mass, of course, was all in German, but my mom, being Catholic, understood a lot of it. Kirk understood it all except the singing. I knew some of the songs because Luci had learned some St. Martin's songs in school and they sung them in church as well. The service lasted about 45 minutes and ended with communion and a couple songs. People trickled in quietly in the back. The girls behaved well, so I was very proud of them.
When it was over we walked outside to see the huge crowds of people who did not attend the mass. The band was assembled and the street in front of the church was packed already with children bearing lanterns and their parents holding Styrofoam cups of gluwein.

The band started playing and the crowd walked a short distance to the small town parking lot where all the local celebrations are held. Tonight the firemen were the ones holding the torches as we all walked along. In the lot was a huge bonfire like the night before in Teveran. I was glad that I'd been to Teveran because the crowds were so huge in Gillrath and the reenactment so brief that by the time we got to the back of the crowd, it was over and St. Martin was already riding away on his horse, leading the parade. So we walked again, down a long street, looping up right in front of our house, then walking all the way back the the church. St. Martin's horse waited outside. Fathers milled around talking and drinking gluwein and mothers joined the throng of kids and lanterns pushing in through the narrow church doors to see St. Martin. It took a while to get in and the kids were frustrated, but we saw why inside. Whereas in Teveren, many people handed out the bags of bread and chocolate to the children, in Gillrath, St. Martin shook every child's hand and gave them their treats. So we waited in line and Arianna and Luci both shook his hand. Elise was scared, so I grabbed her and Tiara got the goodies for both of them.
When we got back Tinny and Finny were waiting to see us. They'd waved as we walked by in the parade too. Finny said that she'd helped put together 495 goodie bags earlier that day. The church took all the donations for St. Martin's day and spent all of it on the kids, so each of my girls received in their goodie bag: 1 large St. Martin's bread, 2 clementines, 1 apple, 1 hanutta chocolate wafer, 1 full sized snickers bar, a package of 12 chocolate covered Aachener printen cookies, a bag of marzipan potatoes, a full sized milka chocolate bar, and a large package of butter spekulaties (cookies). The bags were almost too heavy for the kids to carry home. So the kids stuffed themselves on bread and fruit, and Kirk and I went for the printen. YUM! Mom and Kirk went to Il Genio's to get dinner afterwards. For some odd reason, the kids just weren't that hungry... :)

Tiara was there... she's in the first picture. The lanterns are carried on hooks on little poles with batteries inside and a little light bulb that hangs down into the lantern. They are VERY cheaply made, so poor Tiara made a lantern that afternoon, but her light just wouldn't stay on. Eventually, she just got tired of it and walked without it. Elise didn't make a lantern, so she carried a flashlight part of the way until she dropped it and it broke to bits. Next year, they'll all make lanters and we'll use glowsticks inside... those would be a lot more reliable.

Tante Tinny sung a song with the girls earlier that week. Here are the words: "Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne, Brenne auf mein Licht, Brenne auf mein Licht: Aber nur meine liebe Laterne Nicht!"