Lanterns, geese, and pretzels

The St Martin's tradition in South Tyrol

Why children walk through the villages with lanterns every November. A story about sharing, courage, and chatty geese.

It gets dark early outside, and inside the Familienhotels Südtirol things get interesting. Gather round, because today we're telling you a story about sharing.

The coat cut in two
Martin was a soldier. He rode a magnificent horse and wore a thick, warm coat, exactly what you want on a freezing winter evening. At the city gate he saw a man shivering in the cold, barely dressed. Everyone else hurried past without a glance. Everyone except Martin. He drew his sword and cut his coat straight down the middle. One half for the stranger, one half for himself. Why keep everything, when half is enough?

Given away by his own geese
Years later, they wanted to make him a bishop. The highest honour there is. But Martin didn't feel up to the job, so he hid where nobody would think to look: in the goose house. A brilliant plan, he thought. The geese disagreed. They honked and honked so loudly that the men searching for him knew exactly where to find him. Caught! Ever since, goose has been the traditional dish on South Tyrolean tables at St Martin's, in memory of those chatterboxes who simply couldn't keep quiet.

A light for Martin
When Martin died, many years later, a long procession of lights carried him to his final resting place. That's exactly what children in South Tyrol re-enact to this day: they walk through the darkness with lanterns they've made themselves, often led by a rider in a red coat on a white horse. And there are pretzels to nibble at the end. If you'd like to see it for yourself, the village of Girlan in the Oltradige/Überetsch valley holds a proper St Martin's market every year on 11 November, with a procession, market stalls, and a whole village full of lights.

And if you're not in South Tyrol this year: make your own lantern and parade through the living room. Who's carrying the brightest light?

Want more stories? At the Familienhotels Südtirol we've got a new one for you every day. Come and visit us!

The Thöni family
Familienhotel Bella Vista

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