November 11th is St. Martins's Day or Martinstag in parts of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. St. Martin of Tours was a knight and eventual bishop, who was renowned for his generosity, especially to those in need. As legend has it, Martin once gave part of his red cloak to a beggar during a snowstorm. This led to the modern-day tradition of children going door to door in a parade behind St. Martin on a horse in his red cloak, while holding lanterns and singing for treats (somewhat similar to trick-or-treat).
Today in German Club, we made lanterns for St. Martin's Day! They turned out really cool, and allowed us to be creative and artistic. Next year, we'll have to go on a parade with our lanterns, singing to try to get some treats!
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