>
Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2002 19:03:49 -0800
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.482)
I'm relaying the attached invitation by the German American School in
Menlo Park, http://www.germanamericanschool.org/.
If you like to keep up an old tradition, have some fun and like singing,
this is a wonderful event.
Regards
Axel
Axel Merk
Merk Investments
http://www.merkinvestments.com/
Einladung / Invitation
Zum Laternenfest / To the lantern parade
St. Martin
At the German-American School of San Francisco,
275 Elliott Drive, Menlo Park
At 6pm on Monday, Nov.11, 2002
The German-American School of San Francisco and the German-American
Saturday School Palo Alto, both located in Menlo Park, are celebrating
the annual St. Martin Lantern Parade together.
All children and parents who would like to participate with their
parents and lanterns should gather in the schoolyard at 6pm, which is at
the back of the school. Siblings and friends are very welcome, too. We
will start with a shadow theater depicting the legend of St. Martin. The
parade starts at 6:30pm. We will walk around the neighborhood and sing
lantern songs.
After the parade we will again gather in the schoolyard where apple
cider, gingerbread and punch will be served.
Hope to see you there!
Why do we celebrate Martinstag?
Although it takes place on November 11, the Feast of Saint Martin, the
Germanic Martinstag celebration has a lot in common with both Halloween
and Thanksgiving. Martinstag or Martini commemorates Sankt Martin (c.
317-397), Bishop of Tours, one of the most revered European saints. The
best-known legend connected with Saint Martin is the dividing of the
cloak (die Mantelteilung), when Martin, then a soldier in the Roman
army, tore his cloak in two to share it with a freezing beggar at Amiens.
In the past Martinstag was celebrated as the end of the harvest season
(thanksgiving). For workers and the poor it was a time when they had a
chance to enjoy some of the bounty and get a few crumbs from the nobles'
table (“einige Krümel vom reichgedeckten Tisch”). Today in many parts of
Europe the feast is still celebrated by processions of children with
candle-lit lanterns (Martinslaternen) and a banquet of roast goose (die
Martinsgans). In former times, Martini was the “official” start of
winter and the 40-day Christmas fast. Today Martinstag is the unofficial
start of the Christmas shopping season in German Europe
Directions:
- Take 101, exit Willow Road West
- Take the first left on Chester (or take Beacon St. if you miss Chester)
- Turn right on Menalto
- Turn left on O’Connor
- Turn right on Elliott Drive
=================================================================
To unsubscribe from the swiss-list mailing list send the
message body of "unsubscribe swiss-list" to majordomo_at_swiss-list.com
or visit http://www.swiss-list.com/mailing/
Received on Mon Nov 11 2002 - 06:07:20 PST
