Saint Martin's Day

Yesterday was 11 November. This date has a particular meaning in European history since 99 years ago the countries of the Entente and Germano-Austrian army signed an armistice this way finishing the Great War. This day is celebrated in many countries, not only European but also in the Commonwealth of Nations (as the Remembrance Day) and in the USA (the Veterans Day).11th of November is also an important day in my homeland - Poland. This day we're celebrating our independence (in this place, it is important to stress, for people not knowing Polish history, that in 1918 Poland was not created ex nihilo but regained its sovereignty after a long period of dependency to Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary).

The National Independence Day is a significant holiday in Poland, however, 11 November has been celebrated in European countries much longer before 1918 for another reason. On November 11 the Roman Catholic Church commemorates Saint Martin of Tours. Saint Martin was a 4th-century Roman soldier who abandoned his military service and became a priest and later a bishop of Tours. In medieval Europe the celebration of Saint Martin's Day coincided with a moment when autumn wheat seeding was completed and people were slaughtering their fattened animals due to upcoming winter (the illumination on the right comes from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry and illustrates the month of November, the fattened pigs are ready to be slaughtered).

In Poznań, a polish city where I'm studying, there's a Saint Martin's Street. Every year, on November 11 the street celebrates the name day of his saint patron with a parade. To be honest, I don't really like the parade because it is really cold this time of the year here in Poland and being motionless observing the parade only aggravates the whole situation. Despite the problem with temperature, it's an interesting holiday that has a long tradition. What I like the most about this day is the food, as this day in some polish families a goose is served for dinner. Some people (like me for example) drink mulled wine (a lot of mulled wine in my case...). And in Poznań, there's a tradition of eating the croissants of Saint Martin. The name of the croissants derivates from its shape which resembles a horseshoe that was presumably dropped by a horse of Saint Martin. Here's a recipe for this treat.