A day to commemorate St. Martin, said to have been a very kind man who lived a quiet, simple life. In Switzerland, children normally make lanterns out of radishes (or turnips?) and walk in a procession through the village singing lantern songs. Tonight we celebrated with Minouche, Alex's preschool, who decided to make lanterns out of something non-vegetal and hence sturdier for the 3-5 yr old crowd. After the little parade, we went inside and had herbal tea, pumpkin soup and cake. Very sweet....look how his jacket glows! Many people also use this occasion to donate unused toys and clothes, to honor the charitable spirit of St. Martin. I think we'll do that, too. We've got plenty to go around! Isn't this so much better than Halloween in principle? Don't worry, kids get to do costumes here, too...but for Fasnacht/Carnival...which is in February I think.
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