On St. Martin’s Day, little children parade through the streets after dark, singing,
Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne
Und meine Laterne mit mir.
Dort oben leuchten die Sterne,
Hier unten, da leuchten wir.
I go with my lantern,
and my lantern goes with me.
Up above, the stars are shining;
here beneath, there shine we.
Die Laterne is the lantern, the most memorable part of the St. Martin’s Day children’s festivities.
When we lived in France, we lived in Tours, where St. Martin was bishop. I’ve always thought it appropriate that a soldier turned pacifist shares his feast day with the Armistice of World War I.
You read my mind! I’ll be writing about that odd coincidence on Wednesday.