St. Martin's Day

The feast day of the 4th century saint St. Martin of Tours, was Wednesday, but Rebecca's Kindergarten celebrated it today. I was totally ignorant of the festivities last year and the whole experience was like a comedy of errors. This year, I was prepared. Here is Becca with the handprint lantern she made at school and the little fishing pole light I bought a few days ago.

At the Kindergarten, all the kids compared lanterns. You can buy lanterns at the store with countless different designs, including cartoon characters like Spongebob. Becca's friend Felix' class made these amusing ones and he and Bex traded for a little while.

Everyone gathered around to watch a play about St. Martin -- about how the Roman soldier split his red cloak and shared it with a freezing beggar, and then how he dreamed he saw Jesus wearing his cloak and was converted, and then later how he was elected Bishop of Tours against his will and hid in a barn with geese whose honking gave him away.

With Keanu

Munching on goose-shaped sweet bread. St. Martin's Day is celebrated throughout Europe and Latin America.

The lantern procession, where kids walk through neighborhoods singing songs about St. Martin

Becca's lit lantern. In the past, little candles would light up the lanterns. I read somewhere that a St. Martin's Day lantern procession wasn't complete unless several lanterns caught on fire.

St. Martin appeared to lead the procession. As it got darker and darker, more and more kids tripped and fell. There seemed to be as much crying as singing. Becca kept it together until we were on our way home, when she fell and had to be reassured that her lantern had survived.

Back to school for a bonfire and more singing