Sandra
RebeccaDo you know when your name day is? A name day is when Christians celebrate a day connected to their baptismal name.
Tomorrow is Saint Martin’s name day. In Slovenia there is a traditional feast to celebrate St. Martin.
This day has pagan roots. Pagans celebrated the autumn fertility of fields and vineyards. They thanked the gods for a good harvest and asked that the next year bring the same.
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They later chose Saint Martin of Tours, a French bishop with Hungarian roots, as the harvest’s protector.
Legend has it that he was kind-hearted and humble.
When he was appointed as a bishop, he refused it because of his modesty and hid himself among the geese. The geese gave away his hiding place by honking – betraying him.
That’s probably why geese are often on the menu for Saint Martin’s Day.
There are other legends about Saint Martin and customs.
In Slovenia he is seen as the patron saint of new wine because cider turns into wine on St. Martin’s vine. Only a person dressed like him or a bishop can bless the cider.
In some places farmers put an apple on top of a barrel with herbs like cloves and cinnamon inside.
Then they say, “Now we will see what the harvest will be like.” If the apple dries up, it will be good, if it rots, it will be bad.
During this time, shepherds were given loaves of bread, and weddings also often took place.
Many will mark this day with a traditional Martin’s dinner: duck or goose, mlinci (Slovene pasta tatters), and red cabbage.
Individual places have their own versions of this meal.
St. Martin’s Day is characterized by a folk saying, Svet’ Martin nar’di iz mošta vin’ – meaning, “St. Martin turns cider to wine.”
Slovenia is well-known as a wine-growing country, and almost every seventh Slovenian is a winegrower.
Last year Slovene winegrowers produced around 82,000 tons of grapes, of which more than two-thirds were from white varieties according to the data of the statistical office.
Glossary
Paganism is belonging to a religion that does not recognize Jesus Christ as God.
Cider (mošt in Slovene) is a sweet juice from ground, pressed grapes.
Points to Consider
- Is Martin’s Day a public holiday (bank holiday)?
- Where is the oldest Slovenian vine?
- Which Slovenian traditions do you know about?
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The original version of this article was published on 10th November.
Mateja
Rok
