When: Sunday, November 10th, 4:30p-5:30pm
Where: Elsa Rupp Trail off of Old Stage Road in Mount Shasta, a lovely little trail which winds through the woods.
What to bring: Please bring a lantern with a candle inside for each person in your party to carry, and a lighter or matches to keep your candle aflame! (Each child who attends Cedar Grove & Acorn House will make their own lantern.) Here's a tutorial on how to make a simple lantern with a mason jar & tissue paper.
Order of events: We will gather at 4:30pm in the parking lot at Elsa Rupp Trail. We'll light our lanterns, practice singing our "lantern songs" a few times together, and then take a little walk through the woods. After the walk we will enjoy some cookies and warm cider together, then say goodbye.
Lantern songs to practice singing at home: Glimmer Lantern Glimmer and I Go With My Bright Little Lantern.
What is Martinmas?
Martinmas, or the festival of St. Martin, is celebrated around November 11 with a nighttime lantern walk. This festival is celebrated at Waldorf schools around the world and in many homes every year. It is a wonderful way to reflect on the changing season as fall's bounty gives way to snow.
Traditionally Martinmas coincided with the many busy activities around farms in late fall. This would be the time a farmer would harvest crops before the first snow as well as time to plant winter wheat for flour for the new year. These farm traditions often resulted in feast days, which marks Martinmas as a precursor to what we know today as Thanksgiving.
Who Was St. Martin?
Martinmas dates back to the Middle Ages and the veneration of St. Martin, a 4th-century bishop who founded an abbey in Tours, France. According to legend, one wintry day he encountered a shivering beggar and cut his cloak in half to give the poor man warmth. That night, Martin had a vision of Jesus wearing Martin’s divided red cloak. Martin is now the patron saint of tailors, as well as that of France.
Today in many European countries, the Martinmas festival culminates in a lantern walk at night, followed by a bonfire and songs. Traditionally the lanterns were carved out of harvested turnips or gourds, and illuminated with a candle—some speculate this is the origin of our jack-o-lantern—but can also be made of paper or jars. The lanterns and the bonfire symbolize light in the darkness of winter.
This is such a special event, a magical evening that children will hold in their hearts for the rest of their lives. We hope you will join us!