One of the many benefits of living in Bavaria are the abundance of Catholic holidays. Last night we celebrated the festival of Saint Martin. It commemorates a Roman Centurion who saw a beggar in the snow (?) and gave him half of his cloak. The beggar turned into Jesus and Saint Martin gets the holiday.
At nightfall the family and I walked to the local church, the kids clutching electric lanterns. There was a pageant in the church yard, with Saint Martin hymns. The kids swung their lanterns and sang. Then we processed down the street to a nearby park, where St Martin rode around in a circle on a large "Icelandic" horse. We sang some more songs, the priest explained and answered a few of the children's questions about the horse. Then we processed back to the church yard for a bonfire and mulled wine. Mmmmm....
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