Also::

St. Martin

Sheet music

Children Sing
(mp3 audio)

Laternenfest

Laternenfest (PRON: la-TAIR-nen-fest), or festival of lanterns, takes place in the evening on or around November 11th. Kinderschule invites parents, families and neighbours to join the children in a small parade, singing traditional songs in the glow of handmade candle-lit lanterns. The parade begins at the South Winnipeg Kinderschule

German communities around the world celebrate Laternenfest in honour of St. Martin who was known for his generosity of spirit. His ability to bring light into people's lives is symbolized by the bright lights of the lantern parades. In keeping with recognizing St. Martin's generosity, we also ask for donations of canned and packaged food for the poor, which we contribute to Winnipeg Harvest.

St. Martin Fest and the associated Laternenfest is a favourite with children. “The children really look forward to this festival,” says Katja Shulz, a former teacher at Kinderschule. “They practice the traditional songs and it is lovely this time of the year in this neighbourhood. The kids love the pretty lanterns and, of course, the hot chocolate and treats afterward.”

We have had workshops at Kinderschule to allow parents to learn the craft of building lanterns. Starting in 2005, we have kits assembled with all the materials and instructions required to make a lantern easily in just a few minutes. These kits cost just $5 and are available at Kinderschule from a couple of weeks before our celebration. You can also try your hand at working from scratch with your own materials.

St. Martin

Martin was born in Hungary in the year 316. His father was a Roman soldier and, therefore, Martin grew up in Italy. Martin also became a soldier at 15 years of age, belonging to the Guards of Emperor Konstantin. His garrison was stationed in France. One bitter cold evening he returned from an outing to his quarters when he saw a beggar sitting at the town gate, barely dressed and very cold. Without hesitation, Martin took his warm coat and, as legend has it, cut it in half with his sword and shared it with the beggar. He was not bothered by how frowned-upon such an action would be. At the age of 18, Martin was baptized and left the army, wanting to follow the ways of his religion. After joining the church, Martin soon founded a monastery, the first in Gailien.

In order to avoid the attention he had attracted through the monastery, Martin went into hiding when offered the position of Bishop of Tours. His hiding location was revealed by the gabbling of geese, and he finally agreed to accept the position of Bishop. Geese are still part of the traditions associated with St. Martin Day.

Throughout his life, Martin remained humble as he continued to help the poor. He traveled the countryside continuously, spreading the teachings of Christ. Martin died on one such trip in the year 397. He was buried by more than 2,000 monks and a chapel was built above his grave.

“We sing songs marking the occasion and sometimes act out his sharing of the coat with the beggar,” says Shulz. “In German countries, children often visit houses with their homemade lanterns, singing songs and receiving treats.”

More songs to print out can be found here: Lieder 1 | Lieder 2 | Lieder 3 | Lieder 4
Try this collection of links on St. Martin, complete with crafts, stories, etc. (Familie Hauenstein)
Look here for designs which might be appropriate for some of the theme panels on your lanterns.
Here is a more complex image to try tracing for your lantern. You could also try laser printing it on to special tracing paper.