our Martinmas celebration

We held a simple Martinmas celebration with our festivals group this evening. The weather this week has been perfect and this evening was no exception. Just chilly enough for warm weather items (including Elizabeth's new Martinmas hat, seen below) but not so chilly that we couldn't lantern walk in relative comfort.

As we all began gathering together, we practiced our song for the lantern walk. I love to think of the light in this song being like the light of Christ that St. Martin saw in his cloak in his dream.

Then we shared a simple meal of soup and bread before heading out on our walk.

The sharing of warm food was like St. Martin's sharing of his cloak. Our gifts to each other brought warmth to each other's bodies and souls.

After our meal and the lighting of our lanterns, we shared the story of St. Martin and the cloak he shared with the beggar. Then we set off with our lanterns on a walk through the dark woods.

Each of us carrying one small light.

As we came together in a circle at the end of our journey, our lights shone together to produce a brighter light.

And with the lights from our lantern, we each lit a section of the bonfire.

As we gathered around the bonfire singing and laughing together, the kids began roasting marshmallows. The fire from our small lights licked and danced with each marshmallow.

And our small lights came together to produce a large light to brighten our evening and warm our bodies and spirits as our community reflected together on this season of darkness.