15 November
“Sinte, sinte Maarten, de koeien hebben staarten, de meisjes hebben rokjes aan. Daar komt Sint Martinus aan”… These were the words echoing through our streets on Tuesday during the feast of St Martin. The lyrics are not exactly profound, but it is a great atmosphere!
A comedian on Instagram has been sharing real stories of what children received as they went from door to door, rating the treats in several categories.
The first category is the ordinary one. These are the people who hand out a small packet of Haribo or a piece of Celebrations chocolate. Then come those he calls the “light child sadists”. They give apples, mandarins, raisins, or even carrots. It gets worse with the “advanced child sadists” who, according to the stories, hand out pickles or dried prunes. The final category is the “extreme child sadist.” One neighbour greeted the children with a large bucket of sweets, inviting them to take as much as they wanted, only then to ask whether they preferred a treat or to make a donation for hungry children in Africa. Another story tells of a girl who received a luxurious box of Ferrero Rocher, only to discover later that each golden wrapper contained a Brussels sprout.
Despite these horror stories, I appreciate this feast day in the Netherlands. It recalls St Martin of Tours, who lived in the fourth century. Catholic Online explains that, although his parents were pagan, Martin became a Christian at the age of ten. By fifteen he was required to join the cavalry, and by eighteen he had served in Gaul, Milan, and Treves, perhaps even as part of the emperor’s guard.
As a young soldier he met a beggar. In a moment that would shape the rest of his life, he cut his cloak in two with his sword and gave half to the man. That night he saw a vision of Christ telling him that it was indeed Christ whom he had clothed. Martin soon left the army because of his Christian conscience, becoming the first recorded conscientious objector.
This Sunday we will reflect on radical Christianity through the gospel of Luke, and it is the witness of believers like Martin that still gives us hope.
Marius Louw