Saint Martin’s Day is celebrated on November 11. Many customs and traditions are associated with this day. At that time, they usually eat duck or goose in most places. On the one hand, the folk customs on Martin’s Day are connected to the end of the year, the end of agricultural work, and the approach of Advent, and on the other hand, to the legend that St. Martin tried to hide in a goose barn when he was going to be elected bishop, but the geese betrayed him with their cackling.
Martin’s Day feast
St. Martin’s Day is the last day before the 40-day Christmas fast, so feasts, balls, and fairs were regular on this day. The feasting was also favored by the fact that, according to tradition, it was not allowed to clean, wash, or move at this time, because this caused the destruction of the livestock. The stuffed goose can already be slaughtered in November, which is why the dishes on St. Martin’s Day are typically goose dishes, such as goose soup, roast goose with steamed cabbage and buns or potato dumplings, because according to the rhyme: “Those who do not eat goose on St. Martin’s Day will starve for the whole year”. It was customary to send the meat of the goose, namely the back part, to the priest, hence the term “bishop’s pie”. After the goose dinner on Martin’s Day, it is customary to toast with Martin’s glass, that is, new wine that has just matured for November. They believed that by drinking as much as possible, they would gain more and more strength and health.
Martin’s Day weather forecast
The breastbone of the roasted goose was used to predict the weather: if the bone is brown and short, the winter will be muddy, but if it is long and white, then it will be snowy. On the other hand, the opposite is expected of the weather that day: “If Márton comes on a white horse, a mild winter is expected, if on a brown horse, a hard winter is expected.” In another wording: “If the goose walks on ice on St. Martin’s Day, it splashes in water on Christmas.” In many places it is believed that the time on that day shows the time in March. According to folklore, the rain on St. Martin’s Day is usually followed by frost and then drought. The autumn weather also affects the quality of the wine: “Saint Martin is the judge of the wine”, which can also be understood as the new wine being drinkable at this time.
Martin’s Day gift giving
In the chronicles of the 14th century, St. Martin’s Day was listed as a deadline, it was the day of renewal, payment, and the cancellation of serf debt. The St. Martin’s Day stipend was included among the salaries of priests, teachers and shepherds. Earlier obligations were later forgotten or transformed into gifts. On St. Martin’s Day, the farmer paid the shepherds the so-called livestock tax or graze money, while the shepherds gave the farmers a multi-branched cane (St. Martin’s cane) as a gift. It was believed that a pig has as many sons as it has branches. In the spring, animals were driven out with this stick. In Transdanubia, it was the custom that on the evening of St. Martin’s Day, the shepherds went through the houses, said greetings and held a birch stick with rich foliage, which they also gave to the farmer.
