Martinmas & St. Martin of Tours

In the United States, today is celebrated as Veterans Day; elsewhere, today is Armistice Day or Remembrance Day.  These civil observances this day are derived from the Armistice signed on 11 November AD1918 that ended the First World War.  Hence, it is a fitting time to offer prayers and express gratitude to those Veterans that have offered their service to their country in the Armed Forces, especially on the anniversary of the end of that Great War.

St. Martin and the Beggar by El Greco.

11 November is also the rather ancient feast of St. Martin of Tours -- himself a veteran before he would become a bishop -- who died in AD397.  Thus, today is Martinmas!

St. Martin of Tours was long one of the most beloved saints in the history of the Church, and his life is a remarkable example of virtue in one of the first to be celebrated on the Church calendar as a saint without having been martyred: a "confessor."

The Charity of St. Martin, by Jean Fouquet.

St. Martin was born a pagan in the area of modern Hungary.  He would end up in the Roman army, and, while in Gaul, received baptism at the age of 18.  The famous episode of St. Martin dividing his cloak for the beggar took place prior to his baptism!  Departing the army, St. Martin would become a monk, receive guidance from the great Doctor of the Church, St. Hilary of Poitiers, and, in the end, become Bishop of Tours.  St. Martin, as bishop, was a bulwark against the external attacks on the Church by paganism and those internal from Arianism.  More than anything else, St. Martin was known for his "boundless charity to the poor."

St. Martin, then, would quickly become a widely beloved saint.  This next site is a good resource for a few customs of the day, and a wonderful weather prediction of our Medieval forebears; it notes, in part: "St. Martin's Feast is considered the first day of Winter for practical purposes, so, alluding to the snows of that season, the Germans say that 'St Martin comes riding on a white horse.' Of course, it might not feel like Winter if one is experiencing a 'St. Martin's Summer' -- the equivalent of an 'Indian Summer.' It is said, too, that one can predict what sort of Winter one will have by the conditions of St. Martin's Day: 'If the geese at Martin’s Day stand on ice, they will walk in mud at Christmas.'

The Feast coincides not only with the end of the Octave of All Souls, but with harvest time, the time when newly-produced wine is ready for drinking, and the end of winter preparations, including the butchering of animals (an old English saying is 'His Martinmas will come as it does to every hog,' meaning 'he will get his comeuppance' or 'everyone must die'). Because of this, St. Martin's Feast is much like the American Thanksgiving (celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November) -- a celebration of the earth's bounty. Because it also comes before the penitential season of Advent, it is seen as a mini 'carnivale' with all the feasting and bonfires."

Fisheaters: St. Martin of Tours (Martinmas)

Statue of St. Martin in St. Martinsville, Louisiana.

Innumerable places and individuals would bear the name of St. Martin -- from St. Martinville, Louisiana, burial place of Longfellow's Evangeline, to the Protestant notable, Martin Luther.  It is said that over 400 towns and 4,000 churches have been named for St. Martin in France alone.

For more on his life you should note:
Old Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Martin of Tours

Patron Saints Index: St. Martin of Tours

Butler's Lives of the Saints: St. Martin of Tours

The Basilica of St. Martin in Tours.
["Tours, Saint Martin" by Parsifall - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons]

St. Martin is buried in a grand Basilica bearing his name in Tours, France -- location of the great battle in AD732 when Charles Martel turned back the Islamic invader.  You can view the official website of the Church where he is buried here: Basilica of St. Martin

The Tomb of St. Martin in Tours, France.

Perhaps today is the day to revive a few Martinmas customs, and give a toast to our Veterans while we are at it?

Live well!