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113-788: By the mid 12th century lay individuals practicing penance in central and northern Italy had begun to join together in associations for mutual spiritual and material support. The converso was a layman who had made a "conversion of life" and was affiliated to a monastic order as a lay brother. "Penitents" were those who adopted asceticism. Gradually, the distinction blurred. They retained their personal property and worked to support themselves. They were not cloistered monastics. By 1210 some had, with clerical assistance, composed "rules" or forms of life. These rules generally proscribed blasphemy, gambling, haunting taverns, and womanizing. In 1227 Pope Gregory IX recognized and approved canonical status for groups he called "Brothers and Sisters of Penance". They observed

226-698: A fireworks show on Saint Martin's Street. Goose meat dishes are also eaten during the holiday. The biggest event in Slovenia is the St. Martin's Day celebration in Maribor which marks the symbolic winding up of all the wine growers' endeavours. There is the ceremonial "christening" of the new wine, and the arrival of the Wine Queen. The square Trg Leona Štuklja is filled with musicians and stalls offering autumn produce and delicacies. In some parts of Ireland , on

339-484: A belief that they managed to do so because "it seems that the body had been thrown over the prison walls, without burial, probably by order of Herodias." What became of the head of John the Baptist is difficult to determine. Ancient historians Josephus , Nicephorus and Symeon Metaphrastes assumed that Herodias had it buried in the fortress of Machaerus . An Eastern Orthodox tradition holds that, after buried,

452-527: A bishop in Gaul . He is best known for the legend whereby he cut his cloak in half with his sword to give half to a beggar who was dressed in only rags in the depth of winter. That night Martin had a vision of Jesus Christ wearing the half-cloak. In his study Medieval English Martinmesse: The Archaeology of a Forgotten Festival , Martin Walsh suggests that 'Martinmas' had roots in a pre-Christian festival marking

565-641: A blue cincture; and the Quattro Coronati, with a white cincture, etc. Their main purpose was to pray for those condemned to death. The confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament at the Church of St. Andrea della Fratte , under the patronage of St. Francis of Paola . They were also active in Limoges . Including the confraternities of St. Rocco and St. Martin at Ripetto, the care of the poor and

678-617: A bonfire. St Martin's Day ( Mortensdag ), November 11, and St Martin's Eve ( Mortensaften ), November 10, was an early autumn feast in Denmark. Eating St Martin's goose ( mortensgås ) St Martin's Eve was a well-known custom in Denmark. The oldest known Danish source is from 1616. Today, the goose is often replaced by duck. St Martin's Day or St Martin's Eve ( Mårtensafton ) was an important medieval autumn feast in Sweden. In early November, geese are ready for slaughter, and on St Martin's Eve it

791-514: A character called Pelzmärten (' pelt Martin' or 'skin Martin') appeared at Martinmas until the 19th century. With a black face and wearing a cow bell, he ran about frightening children, and he dealt out blows as well as nuts and apples. In the 6th century, church councils began requiring fasting on all days, except Saturdays and Sundays, from Saint Martin's Day to Epiphany (elsewhere, the Feast of

904-413: A degree, Rome alone counting over a hundred, that the way of classifying them was according to the colour of the garb worn for processions and devotional exercises. This consisted of a heavy robe confined with a girdle, with a pointed hood concealing the face, the openings for the eyes permitting the wearer to see without being recognized. The most important group of white penitents (who wear a white habit)

1017-635: A descendant of Aaron on both his father's and mother's side. On the basis of this account, the Catholic as well as the Anglican and Lutheran liturgical calendars placed the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist on 24 June, six months before Christmas. Elizabeth is described as a "relative" of Mary the mother of Jesus, in Luke 1:36. There is no mention of a family relationship between John and Jesus in

1130-420: A different passage, Josephus states that the end of Herod's marriage with Aretas's daughter (after which John was killed) was only the beginning of hostilities between Herod and Aretas, which later escalated into the battle. Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan differentiates between Josephus's account of John and Jesus, saying, "John had a monopoly, but Jesus had a franchise." To get baptized, Crossan writes,

1243-687: A federal state in Austria, November 11th is a holiday by state law in Burgenland. Sint-Maarten is an old harvest festival that is celebrated in many European countries and precedes the fasting period of Advent. In the Netherlands , on the evening of 11 November, children went door to door with lanterns made of hollowed-out sugar beet . This has been replaced by paper lanterns, usually crafted by themselves. They sing songs such as "Sinte(re) Sinte(re) Maarten", to receive sweets or fruit in return. In

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1356-760: A few centuries. In the Archdiocese of Milan according to Ancient Ambrosian Liturgical usage the feast of St Martin is followed by the First Sunday in Advent (the 6 weeks period is still used in this large Diocese and the Churches outside it, such as in Ticino (Switzerland) that do still use the Ambrosian Liturgy. In Austria, St Martin's Day is celebrated similar to Germany. The nights before and on

1469-495: A garment of hair and a leather belt. In Matthew, Jesus explicitly teaches that John is "Elijah who was to come" (Matthew 11:14 – see also Matthew 17:11–13); many Christian theologians have taken this to mean that John was Elijah's successor. In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist explicitly denies being Elijah. In the annunciation narrative in Luke, an angel appears to Zechariah, John's father, and tells him that John "will turn many of

1582-600: A harsh winter will follow. Today, 11 November is Remembrance Day . A widespread custom in Germany is to light bonfires , called Martinsfeuer , on St. Martin's Eve. In recent years, the processions that accompany those fires have been spread over almost a fortnight before Martinmas ( Martinstag ). At one time, the Rhine River valley would be lined with fires on the eve of Martinmas. In the Rhineland , St. Martin's Day

1695-485: A key medieval autumn feast, a custom of eating goose on the day spread to Sweden from France. It was primarily observed by the craftsmen and noblemen of the towns. In the peasant community, not everyone could afford this, so many ate duck or hen instead. In winegrowing regions of Europe, the first wine was ready around the time of Martinmas. Although there was no mention of a link between St Martin and winegrowing by Gregory of Tours or other early hagiographers, St Martin

1808-483: A local light alcoholic beverage called água-pé (literally "foot water", made by adding water to the pomace left after the juice is pressed out of the grapes for wine – traditionally by stomping on them in vats with bare feet, and letting it ferment for several days), or the stronger jeropiga (a sweet liquor obtained in a very similar fashion, with aguardente added to the water). Água-pé , though no longer available for sale in supermarkets and similar outlets (it

1921-501: A messenger being sent ahead, and a voice crying out in the wilderness. John is described as wearing clothes of camel's hair, and living on locusts and wild honey . John proclaims baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, and says another will come after him who will not baptize with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes to John, and is baptized by him in the river Jordan. The account describes how, as he emerges from

2034-495: A person went only to John; to stop the movement one only needed to stop John (therefore his movement ended with his death). Jesus invited all to come and see how he and his companions had already accepted the government of God, entered it and were living it. Such a communal praxis was not just for himself, but could survive without him, unlike John's movement. Matthew 14:12 records that "his disciples came and took away [John's] body and buried it." Theologian Joseph Benson refers to

2147-521: A traditional menu with goose and Glühwein (a mulled red wine). St Paul, Minnesota celebrates with a traditional lantern procession around Rice Park . The evening includes German treats and traditions that highlight the season of giving. In Dayton, Ohio the Dayton Liederkranz-Turner organization hosts a St Martin's Family Celebration on the weekend before with an evening lantern parade to the singing of St Martin's carols, followed by

2260-829: A voice called out, an earthquake rumbled, and thunder struck, and the altar of the temple opened, revealing Zechariah's body. Elizabeth then buried John's body under this altar. Two Catholic churches and one mosque claim to have the head of John the Baptist: the Umayyad Mosque , in Damascus ( Syria ); the church of San Silvestro in Capite , in Rome ; and Amiens Cathedral , in France (the French king would have had it brought from

2373-584: Is Martinshörnchen , a pastry shaped in the form of a croissant , which recalls both the hooves of St. Martin's horse and, by being the half of a pretzel , the parting of his mantle. In some areas, these pastries are instead shaped like men ( Stutenkerl or Weckmänner). St. Martin's Day is also celebrated in German Lorraine and Alsace , which border the Rhineland and are now part of France. Children receive gifts and sweets. In Alsace, in particular

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2486-519: Is St. Martin's Day, we'll eat chestnuts, we'll taste the wine.) St Martin's Day is widely celebrated in Galicia . It is the traditional day for slaughtering fattened pigs for the winter. This tradition has given way to the popular saying " A cada cerdo le llega su San Martín from Galician A cada porquiño chégalle o seu San Martiño ("Every pig gets its St Martin"). The phrase is used to indicate that wrongdoers eventually get their comeuppance. In Moaña

2599-633: Is a closely similar painting by Peeter Baltens , which can be seen here . Simone Martini (XIV century) represented Saint Martin's life in lots of frescoes in a chapel of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Assisi . John the Baptist John the Baptist ( c.  1st century BC – c.  AD 30 ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in

2712-454: Is a familial relative of Jesus whose birth was foretold by Gabriel. In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist himself sees the spirit descend like a dove and he explicitly preaches that Jesus is the Son of God. The Gospels vary in their depiction of John's relationship to Elijah . Matthew and Mark describe John's attire in a way reminiscent of the description of Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8 , who also wore

2825-471: Is also quite popular because of the usual good weather period that occurs in Portugal in this time of year, called Verão de São Martinho (St. Martin's Summer). It is frequently tied to the legend since Portuguese versions of St. Martin's legend usually replace the snowstorm with rain (because snow is not frequent in most parts of Portugal, while rain is common at that time of the year) and have Jesus bringing

2938-411: Is celebrated in the village of Baħrija on the outskirts of Rabat , including a procession led by the statue of Saint Martin. There is also a fair, and a show for local animals. Cooking chestnuts on the open fire was one of the main attractions. San Anton School , a private school on the island, organises a walk to and from a cave especially associated with Martin in remembrance of the day. This period

3051-410: Is celebrated mainly in the city of Poznań where its citizens buy and eat considerable amounts of croissants filled with almond paste with white poppy seeds, the rogal świętomarciński or St. Martin's Croissants. Legend has it that this centuries-old tradition commemorates a Poznań baker's dream which had the saint entering the city on a white horse that lost its golden horseshoe. The next morning,

3164-503: Is lit and Martin's pretzels are distributed. In the Rhineland, the children also go from house to house with their lanterns, sing songs and get candy in return. The origin of the procession of lanterns is unclear. To some, it is a substitute for the Martinmas bonfire, which is still lit in a few cities and villages throughout Europe. It formerly symbolized the light that holiness brings to the darkness, just as St Martin brought hope to

3277-691: Is made. Bonfires are lit on St Martin's Eve in the Rhineland region of Germany. In the fifteenth century, these bonfires were so numerous that the festival was nicknamed Funkentag (spark day). In the nineteenth century it was recorded that young people danced around the fire and leapt through the flames, and that the ashes were strewn on the fields to make them fertile. In some German and Dutch-speaking towns, there are nighttime processions of children carrying paper lanterns or turnip lanterns and singing songs of St Martin. These processions are known in German as Laternelaufen . In parts of Flanders and

3390-641: Is mentioned in all four canonical Gospels and the non-canonical Gospel of the Nazarenes . The Synoptic Gospels ( Mark , Matthew and Luke ) describe John baptising Jesus; in the Gospel of John this is inferred by many to be referred to in John 1:32. The Gospel of Mark introduces John as a fulfillment of a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah (in fact, a conflation of texts from Isaiah, Malachi and Exodus ) about

3503-607: Is officially banned for sale in Portugal), is still generally available in small local shops from domestic production. Leite de Vasconcelos regarded the magusto as the vestige of an ancient sacrifice to honor the dead and stated that it was tradition in Barqueiros to prepare, at midnight, a table with chestnuts for the deceased family members to eat. A typical Portuguese saying related to Saint Martin's Day: É dia de São Martinho; comem-se castanhas, prova-se o vinho. (It

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3616-611: Is open to baptized Catholic Christians, though baptized Christians of other denominations may join as Associates; those seeking to join undergo a formation process. As of 2016, there were around 225 penitents attached to the Saint Francis Third Order Confraternity of Penitents. There are several confraternities of penitents active today in various parts of the world, such as the Cofradía Penitencial de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno and

3729-705: Is the Archconfraternity of the Gonfalone , established in 1264 at Rome. St. Bonaventure, at that time Inquisitor-general of the Holy Office, prescribed the rules, and the white habit, with the name Recommendati B. V. M. This confraternity was erected in the Church of St. Mary Major by Pope Clement IV in 1265, and four others having been erected in the Church of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli , was raised to

3842-506: Is the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and is celebrated in the liturgical year on 11 November . In the Middle Ages and early modern period , it was an important festival in many parts of Europe, particularly Germanic-speaking regions . In these regions, it marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter and the "winter revelling season". Traditions include feasting on 'Martinmas goose' or 'Martinmas beef', drinking

3955-554: Is the one "who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" and John even professes a "belief that he is the Son of God" and "the Lamb of God". The Gospel of John reports that Jesus' disciples were baptizing and that a debate broke out between some of the disciples of John and another Jew about purification. In this debate John argued that Jesus "must become greater," while he (John) "must become less." The Gospel of John then points out that Jesus' disciples were baptizing more people than John. Later,

4068-462: Is to be avoided as St. Martin rides a white horse across Wexford Bay bringing death by drowning to any who see him. In Welsh mythology the day is associated with the Cŵn Annwn , the spectral hounds who escort souls to the otherworld ( Annwn ). St Martin's Day was one of the few nights the hounds would engage in a Wild Hunt , stalking the land for criminals and villains. The supernatural character of

4181-501: Is tradition to have a roast goose dinner. The custom is particularly popular in Scania in southern Sweden, where goose farming has long been practised, but it has gradually spread northwards. A proper goose dinner also includes svartsoppa (a heavily spiced soup made from geese blood) and apple charlotte . In Croatia , St. Martin's Day ( Martinje , Martinovanje ) marks the day when the must traditionally turns to wine . The must

4294-404: Is traditionally celebrated with a feast of goose. The nights before and on the eve itself, children walk in processions called Laternelaufen , carrying lanterns, which they made in school, and sing St. Martin's songs. Usually, the walk starts at a church and goes to a public square. A man on horseback representing St. Martin accompanies the children. When they reach the square, Martin's bonfire

4407-416: Is usually considered impure and sinful, until it is baptised and turned into wine. The baptism is performed by someone who dresses up as a bishop and blesses the wine; this is usually done by the host. Another person is chosen as the godfather of the wine. A Czech proverb connected with the Feast of St. Martin – Martin přijíždí na bílém koni (transl. "Martin is coming on a white horse") – signifies that

4520-508: Is widely credited in France with helping to spread winemaking throughout the region of Tours ( Touraine ) and facilitating vine-planting. The old Greek tale that Aristaeus discovered the advantage of pruning vines after watching a goat, has been appropriated to St Martin. He is credited with introducing the Chenin blanc grape, from which most of the white wine of western Touraine and Anjou

4633-576: The Antiquities of the Jews (book 18, chapter 5, 2) by Flavius Josephus (37–100): Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's [Antipas's] army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that

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4746-626: The Baháʼí faith , the Druze faith , and Mandaeism ; in the last of these he is considered to be the final and most vital prophet. He is considered to be a prophet of God by all of the aforementioned faiths, and is honoured as a saint in many Christian denominations . According to the New Testament , John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself; in the Gospels , he is portrayed as

4859-606: The Black Sea island of Sveti Ivan (Saint John) and two years later, after DNA and radio carbon testing proved the bones belonged to a Middle Eastern man who lived in the 1st century AD, scientists said that the remains could conceivably have belonged to John the Baptist. The remains, found in a reliquarium, are presently kept in the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Sozopol . The Coptic Orthodox Church also have claimed to hold

4972-601: The Catholic Cathedral of Siena , in Italy , both claim to have John the Baptist's right arm and hand, with which he baptised Jesus. According to the Catholic account, in 1464 Pope Pius II donated what was identified as the right arm and hand of John the Baptist to the Siena Cathedral. The donation charter identifies the relic as "the arm of blessed John the Baptist. And this is the very arm that baptized

5085-709: The Cofradía Penitencial de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno de Palencia , among many others. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). " Confraternities of Penitents ". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. Thompson O.P., Augustine. Cities of God: The Religion of the Italian Communes, 1125-1325 , Penn State Press, 2010 ISBN   9780271046273 St. Martin%27s Lent Saint Martin's Day or Martinmas (obsolete: Martlemas ), and historically called Old Halloween or Old Hallowmas Eve ,

5198-519: The Essenes , a semi- ascetic Jewish sect who expected a messiah and practised ritual baptism . John used baptism as the central symbol or sacrament of his pre-messianic movement. Most biblical scholars agree that John baptized Jesus , and several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus's early followers had previously been followers of John. According to the New Testament, John

5311-620: The Haut-Rhin mountainous region, families with young children make lanterns out of painted paper that they carry in a colourful procession up the mountain at night. Some schools organize these events, in particular schools of the Rudolf Steiner ( Waldorf education ) pedagogy. In the United States, St. Martin's Day celebrations are uncommon, but are typically held by German American communities. Many German restaurants feature

5424-583: The Kingdom of Sicily ) as common in at least late English folklore. The day is celebrated in a special way in a village near Messina and at a monastery dedicated to Saint Martin overlooking Palermo beyond Monreale. Other places in Sicily mark the day by eating fava beans . Pieter Bruegel the Elder 's physically largest painting is The Wine of Saint Martin's Day , which depicts the saint giving charity. There

5537-546: The Octave of Allhallowtide . Martinmas was traditionally when livestock were slaughtered for winter provision. It may originally have been a time of animal sacrifice , as the Old English name for November was Blōtmōnaþ ('sacrifice month'). Goose is eaten at Martinmas in most places. There is a legend that St Martin, when trying to avoid being ordained bishop, hid in a pen of geese whose cackling gave him away. Once

5650-539: The Rhineland , processions are led by a man on horseback representing St Martin, who may give out apples, nuts, cakes or other sweets for children. Historically, in Ypres , children hung up stockings filled with hay on Martinmas Eve, and awoke the next morning to find gifts in them. These were said to have been left by St Martin as thanks for the fodder provided for his horse. In the Swabia and Ansbach regions of Germany,

5763-872: The Roman Campagna . Other confraternities of Black Penitents are the Confraternity of the Crucifix of St. Marcellus and the Confraternity of Jesus and Mary of St. Giles. Originating in Italy, such as those of St. Julian in Monte Giordano, Madonna del Giardino, Santa Maria in Caccaberi, these confraternities were later established in Spain and France, the largest being in Nice and Toulouse . Dedicated to

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5876-418: The "voice of one crying in the wilderness". Upon literary analysis, it is clear that John is the "testifier and confessor par excellence ", particularly when compared to figures like Nicodemus . Jesus's baptism is implied but not depicted. Unlike the other gospels, it is John himself who testifies to seeing "the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on him". John explicitly announces that Jesus

5989-400: The 2nd century AD, and some proclaimed him to be the Messiah awaited by Jews . In modern times, the followers of John the Baptist are the Mandaeans , an ancient ethnoreligious group who believe that he is their greatest and final prophet. In the Roman martyrology , apart from Jesus and the Virgin Mary, John is the only saint whose birth and death are both commemorated. John the Baptist

6102-411: The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament and of the Five Wounds at San Lorenzo in Damaso . The chief confraternity in this group is the Archconfraternity of the Misericordia . The Confraternity of the Misericordia was founded in Florence around 1240 for the purpose of assisting the ill, the imprisoned, and burying the dead. It took as its patron, the city's patron, John the Baptist . A second branch

6215-409: The Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist explicitly teaches charity, baptizes tax-collectors, and advises soldiers. The text briefly mentions that John is imprisoned and later beheaded by Herod, but the Gospel of Luke lacks the story of a step-daughter dancing for Herod and requesting John's head. The Book of Acts portrays some disciples of John becoming followers of Jesus, a development not reported by

6328-421: The Gospel of Mark implies that the arrival of John the Baptist is the fulfilment of a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah , the words quoted ("I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way – a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'") are actually a composite of texts from Isaiah , Malachi and the Book of Exodus . (Matthew and Luke drop

6441-399: The Gospel of Mark, John preaches of a coming leader, but shows no signs of recognizing that Jesus is this leader. In Matthew, however, John immediately recognizes Jesus and John questions his own worthiness to baptize Jesus. In both Matthew and Luke, John later dispatches disciples to question Jesus about his status, asking "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" In Luke, John

6554-424: The Gospel relates that Jesus regarded John as "a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light". All four Gospels start Jesus' ministry in association with the appearance of John the Baptist. Simon J. Joseph has argued that the Gospel demotes the historical John by depicting him only as a prophetic forerunner to Jesus whereas his ministry actually complemented Jesus'. Although

6667-483: The Holy Land after the Fourth Crusade ). A fourth claim is made by the Residenz Museum in Munich, Germany, which keeps a reliquary containing what the Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria believed to be the head of Saint John. According to the Christian Arab Ibn Butlan , the church of Cassian in Antioch held the right arm of John the Baptist until it was smuggled to Chalcedon and later to Constantinople. An Orthodox Christian monastery in Cetinje , Montenegro , and

6780-452: The Lord." The relic is displayed on the high altar of the Siena Cathedral annually in June. Topkapi Palace , in Istanbul, claims to have John's right hand index finger. John the Baptist's right hand is allegedly preserved in the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. John at Chinsurah, West Bengal , in India, where each year on "Chinsurah Day" in January it blesses the Armenian Christians of Calcutta . The decapitation cloth of Saint John,

6893-425: The San Martiño Festival starts early in the morning on 9 November and extends over four days. In Sicily, November is the winemaking season. On the day Sicilians eat anise, hard biscuits dipped into Moscato, Malvasia or Passito. l'Estate di San Martino (Saint Martin's Summer) is the traditional reference to a period of unseasonably warm weather in early to mid November, possibly shared with the Normans (who founded

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7006-409: The Santa Maria Novella hospital. Over time, acts of charity began to replace the practice of self-flagellation. The Confraternity of Saint Lazarus in Marseille was founded in 1550 and undertook as its charitable work the maintenance of a local leper hospital. Confraternities were actively involved in their communities. Penitential confraternities developed in Italy and had spread to France by the end of

7119-407: The St. Martin's wines at 11:11 a.m. Many restaurants offer special menus for the day, featuring the traditional roast goose. Many people bake special St. Martin rolls in a shape of a horseshoe filled with nuts or poppy seeds (Svatomartinské rohlíčky). Children walk in processions carrying lanterns. In Poland, 11 November is National Independence Day . St. Martin's Day ( Dzień Świętego Marcina )

7232-416: The Three Wise Men for the stopping of the star over Bethlehem) on January 6 (56 days). An addition to and an equivalent to the 40 days fasting of Lent , given its weekend breaks, this was called Quadragesima Sancti Martini (Saint Martin's Lent, or literally "the fortieth of"). This is rarely observed now. This period was shortened to begin on the Sunday before December and became the current Advent within

7345-422: The Virgin Mary and inspired by Franciscan principles, their robes often bore the image of Saint Jerome . Penitents Bleus were required to pray each morning five Our Fathers and five Hail Marys. Their statutes urged members to generously assist the poor and sick in the hospitals, prisons, and elsewhere, and to give alms to orphaned apprentices or at least contribute to the almoners. The most public of devotions were

7458-448: The account of the beheading of John, and adds two elements: that Herod Antipas wants John dead, and that the death is reported to Jesus by his disciples. Matthew's approach is to shift the focus away from Herod and onto John as a prototype of Jesus. Where Mark has Herod killing John reluctantly and at Herodias' insistence, Matthew describes him as wanting John dead. The Gospel of Luke adds an account of John's infancy, introducing him as

7571-410: The baker whipped up horseshoe-shaped croissants filled with almonds, white poppy seeds and nuts, and gave them to the poor. In recent years, competition amongst local patisseries has become fierce. The product is registered under the European Union Protected Designation of Origin and only a limited number of bakers hold an official certificate. Poznanians celebrate the festival with concerts, parades and

7684-422: The castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him. According to this passage, the execution of John was blamed for the defeat Herod suffered. Some have claimed that this passage indicates that John died near the time of the destruction of Herod's army in AD 36. However, in

7797-428: The cloth which covered his head after his execution, is said to be kept at the Aachen Cathedral , in Germany. According to Armenian tradition, the remains of John the Baptist would in some point have been transferred by Gregory the Illuminator to the Saint Karapet Armenian Monastery . In 2010, bones were discovered in the ruins of a Bulgarian church in the St. John the Forerunner Monastery (4th–17th centuries) on

7910-485: The crowds, it was heard audibly, John did say in his witness that he did see the spirit coming down "out of heaven" (John 12:28–30, John 1:32). In Matthew, the voice from heaven does not address Jesus personally, saying instead "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist himself sees the spirit descend as a dove, testifying about the experience as evidence of Jesus's status. John's knowledge of Jesus varies across gospels. In

8023-449: The day in Welsh culture is evident in the number omens associated with it. Marie Trevelyan recorded that if the hooting of an owl was heard on St Martin's Day it was seen as a bad omen for that district. If a meteor was seen, then there would be trouble for the whole nation. Mārtiņi (Martin's) is traditionally celebrated by Latvians on 10 November, marking the end of the preparations for winter, such as salting meat and fish, storing

8136-440: The dead. It then explains that John had rebuked Herod for marrying Herodias , the ex-wife of his brother (named here as Philip). Herodias demands his execution, but Herod, who "liked to listen" to John, is reluctant to do so because he fears him, knowing he is a "righteous and holy man". The account then describes how Herodias's unnamed daughter dances before Herod, who is pleased and offers her anything she asks for in return. When

8249-835: The early 1st century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy , John the Immerser in some Baptist Christian traditions, and Prophet Yahya in Islam. He is sometimes alternatively referred to as John the Baptiser . John is mentioned by the Roman Jewish historian Josephus , and he is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam,

8362-427: The end of it, thus making the "summer" a gift from God. St. Martin's Day ( Dia de São Martinho ) is commonly associated with the celebration of the maturation of the year's wine, being traditionally the first day when the new wine can be tasted. It is celebrated, traditionally around a bonfire , eating the magusto , chestnuts roasted under the embers of the bonfire (sometimes dry figs and walnuts ), and drinking

8475-468: The end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. In the ancient Roman world , 10 November was reckoned as the beginning of winter, while among the Insular Celtic peoples , it was marked by the 1 November festival of Samhain / Calan Gaeaf . Traditionally, in many parts of Europe, St Martin's Day marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. The feast coincides with the end of

8588-660: The eve of St. Martin's Day ( Lá Fhéile Mártain in Irish ), it was tradition to sacrifice a cockerel by bleeding it. The blood was collected and sprinkled on the four corners of the house. Also in Ireland, no wheel of any kind was to turn on St. Martin's Day, because Martin was said by some people to have been thrown into a mill stream and killed by the wheel and so it was not right to turn any kind of wheel on that day. A local legend in County Wexford says that putting to sea

8701-545: The evening of 10 November, mainly in West Flanders and around Ypres . Children go through the streets with paper lanterns and candles, and sing songs about St Martin. Sometimes, a man dressed as St Martin rides on a horse in front of the procession. In Wervik , children go from door to door, singing traditional "Séngmarténg" songs, sporting a hollow beetroot with a carved face and a candle inside called "Bolle Séngmarténg"; they gather at an evening bonfire. Martinmas

8814-507: The faithful in the Franciscan tradition following the AD 1221 Rule of Saint Francis . The charism of the Saint Francis Third Order Confraternity of Penitents is "to assist the penitent in surrendering his or her life totally to God’s Divine Will as manifested through the teachings of Christ, the authority of the Church and the working of the Holy Spirit in the penitent’s life." Its membership

8927-457: The fate of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew account begins with the same modified quotation from Isaiah, moving the Malachi and Exodus material to later in the text, where it is quoted by Jesus. The description of John is possibly taken directly from Mark ("clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey"), along with the proclamation that one

9040-512: The feast, known by the Maltese as Il-Borża ta' San Martin , "St. Martin's bag". This bag may include walnuts , hazelnuts , almonds , chestnuts , dried or processed figs , seasonal fruit (like oranges , tangerines , apples and pomegranates ) and " Saint Martin's bread roll " (Maltese: Ħobża ta' San Martin ). In old days, nuts were used by the children in their games. There is a traditional rhyme associated with this custom: A feast

9153-428: The fifteenth century. Andrew E. Barnes describes Penitential Confraternities as initially "small exclusive associations for urban male elites, distinctive both for their robes and hoods which cloaked their members' identities and for the independence from parochial interference which their status as protégés of the mendicant orders permitted. The penitential confraternities were a phenomenon typical of southern France. In

9266-471: The first half of November in the Czech Republic is the time when it often starts to snow. St. Martin's Day is the traditional feast day in the run-up to Advent. Restaurants often serve roast goose as well as young wine from the recent harvest known as Svatomartinské víno, which is similar to Beaujolais nouveau as the first wine of the season. Wine shops and restaurants around Prague pour the first of

9379-464: The first part of the reference.) The gospels differ on the details of the Baptism. In Mark and Luke, Jesus himself sees the heavens open and hears a voice address him personally, saying, "You are my dearly loved son; you bring me great joy". They do not clarify whether others saw and heard these things. Although other incidents where the "voice came out of heaven" are recorded in which, for the sake of

9492-416: The first wine of the season, and mumming . In some German and Dutch-speaking towns, there are processions of children with lanterns ( Laternelaufen ), sometimes led by a horseman representing St Martin. The saint was also said to bestow gifts on children . In the Rhineland , it is also marked by lighting bonfires . Martin of Tours (died 397) was a Roman soldier who was baptized as an adult and became

9605-459: The gallows, and provide for them religious services and Christian burial. The Royal Arch-Confraternity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (La Sanch) was formed in Perpignan . Its primary task was to attend and assist the convicts in their final hour and to provide for their burial. The Archconfraternity of Death provides burial and religious services for the poor and those found dead within the limits of

9718-420: The girl asks her mother what she should request, she is told to demand the head of John the Baptist. Reluctantly, Herod orders the beheading of John, and his head is delivered to her, at her request, on a plate. John's disciples take the body away and bury it in a tomb. The Gospel refers to Antipas as "King" and the ex-husband of Herodias is named as Philip, but he is known to have been called Herod . Although

9831-470: The gospels except for the early case of Andrew , Simon Peter's brother. The fourth gospel describes John the Baptist as "a man sent from God" who "was not the light", but "came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that through him everyone might believe". John confirms that he is not the Christ nor Elijah nor 'the prophet' when asked by Jewish priests and Pharisees; instead, he described himself as

9944-452: The great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus ,

10057-508: The harvest and making preserves. It is a day when the lines between the spirit world and the world of the living begin to blur. Mārtiņi also marks the beginning of masquerading and sledding, among other winter activities. St. Martin's Day ( Jum San Martin in Maltese ) is celebrated in Malta on the Sunday nearest to 11 November. Children are given a bag full of fruits and sweets associated with

10170-757: The head was discovered by John's followers and was taken to the Mount of Olives , where it was twice buried and discovered, the latter events giving rise to the Orthodox feast of the First and Second Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist . Other writers say that it was interred in Herod's palace at Jerusalem; there it was found during the reign of Constantine , and thence secretly taken to Emesa (modern Homs, in Syria) , where it

10283-446: The miraculous son of Zechariah , an old priest, and his wife Elizabeth , who was past menopause and therefore unable to have children. According to this account, the birth of John was foretold by the angel Gabriel to Zechariah while he was performing his functions as a priest in the temple of Jerusalem. Since he is described as a priest of the course of Abijah and Elizabeth as one of the daughters of Aaron , this would make John

10396-418: The night of 11 November, children walk in processions carrying lanterns, which they made in school, and sing Martin songs. Martinloben is celebrated as a collective festival. It marks the end of the wine-growers’ year. Events include art exhibitions, wine tastings, and live music. Martinigansl (roasted goose) is the traditional dish of the season. As Saint Martin of Tours is patron saint of Burgenland ,

10509-478: The origins of the story. Since it shows signs of having been composed in Aramaic, which Mark apparently did not speak, he is likely to have got it from a Palestinian source. There are a variety of opinions about how much actual historical material it contains, especially given the alleged factual errors. Many scholars have seen the story of John arrested, executed, and buried in a tomb as a conscious foreshadowing of

10622-470: The other Gospels, and Raymond E. Brown has described it as "of dubious historicity ". Géza Vermes has called it "artificial and undoubtedly Luke's creation". The many similarities between the Gospel of Luke story of the birth of John and the Old Testament account of the birth of Samuel suggest that Luke's account of the annunciation and birth of Jesus are modeled on that of Samuel. Unique to

10735-524: The past, poor people would visit farms on 11 November to get food for the winter. In the 1600s, the city of Amsterdam held boat races on the IJ , where 400 to 500 light craft, both rowing boats and sailboats, took part with a vast crowd on the banks. St Martin is the patron saint of the cities of Utrecht and Groningen . In Flanders , the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, St Martin's Eve is celebrated on

10848-402: The poor through his good deeds. Even though the bonfire tradition is gradually being lost, the procession of lanterns is still practiced. A Martinsgans ("St. Martin's goose") is typically served on St. Martin's Eve following the procession of lanterns. "Martinsgans" is usually served in restaurants, roasted, with red cabbage and dumplings. The traditional sweet of Martinmas in the Rhineland

10961-401: The precursor or forerunner of Jesus . According to the Gospel of Matthew , Jesus himself identifies John as "Elijah who is to come", which is a direct reference to the Book of Malachi (Malachi 4:5), as confirmed by the angel who announced John's birth to his father, Zechariah . According to the Gospel of Luke , John and Jesus were relatives. Some scholars think that John belonged to

11074-457: The processions that occurred on Holy Thursday and Corpus Christi. This includes, besides the Stigmati of St. Francis, the confraternities of St. Rose of Viterbo, The Holy Cross of Lucca, St. Rosalia of Palermo, St. Bartholomew, St. Alexander, etc. Embracing the confraternities of Sts. Ursula and Catherine, the red robe being confined with a green cincture; St. Sebastian and St. Valentine, with

11187-434: The rank of an arch confraternity, to which the rest were aggregated. The headquarters were later moved to the Church of Santa Lucia del Gonfalone . The obligations of the members are to care for the sick, bury the dead, provide medical service for those unable to afford it, and give dowries to poor girls. Other confraternities of white Penitents have included the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament of St. John Lateran and

11300-414: The sick. There are many other confraternities which cannot be comprised within any of these groups, because of the combination of colours in their habits. The various confraternities were well represented in France from the thirteenth century on, reaching, perhaps, their most flourishing condition in the sixteenth century. The Saint Francis Third Order Confraternity of Penitents is a private association of

11413-403: The sixteenth century they were established in the French cities, and by the seventeenth had gained momentum in rural area. A degree of tension developed between the confraternities and the bishops as some members attended Mass in the confraternity chapel rather than the parish church. Some confraternities had their own chaplain, and even non-members would attend the shorter Masses, where no sermon

11526-559: The sons of Israel to the Lord their God," and that he will go forth "in the spirit and power of Elijah." The following comparison table is primarily based on the New International Version (NIV) English translation of the New Testament. The account of Flavius Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews was translated by William Whiston. John 10:40–42 An account of John the Baptist is found in all extant manuscripts of

11639-563: The traditional fast of Wednesday and Saturday and St. Martin's Lent . This involved avoiding meat and dairy, and eating one meal a day, usually in the early afternoon. Those who could not fast were to provide food for a poor person for each day they themselves were dispensed from fasting. According to Augustine Thompson O.P., "Common penitential life and mutual fraternity gave the members their common identity, not some shared special devotion." Most penitent confraternities took up some charitable activity. Around 1230, Florentine penitents established

11752-410: The washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest

11865-530: The water, Jesus sees the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on him "like a dove", and he hears a voice from heaven that says, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased". Later in the gospel there is an account of John's death. It is introduced by an incident where the Tetrarch Herod Antipas , hearing stories about Jesus, imagines that this is John the Baptist raised from

11978-458: The wording clearly implies the girl was the daughter of Herodias, many texts describe her as "Herod's daughter, Herodias". Since these texts are early and significant and the reading is ' difficult ', many scholars see this as the original version, altered in later versions and in Matthew and Luke. Josephus says that Herodias had a daughter by the name of Salome. Scholars have speculated about

12091-599: Was a time for saying farewell to travelling ploughmen, who shared in the feast along with the harvest-workers. According to Walsh, Martinmas eventually died out in England as a result of the English Reformation , the emergence of Guy Fawkes Night (5 November), as well as changes in farming and the Industrial Revolution . According to folklore, if the weather is warm on St Martin's Day, then

12204-461: Was coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit "and fire". The book of Matthew next has Jesus coming to John to be baptized, but John objects because he is not worthy because Jesus is the one that brings the baptism in the Spirit. Unlike Mark, Matthew describes John as critical of Pharisees and Sadducees and as preaching "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" and a "coming judgment". Matthew shortens

12317-535: Was concealed, the place remaining unknown for years, until it was manifested by revelation in 452, an event celebrated in the Orthodox Church as the Third Finding . An apocryphal tradition claims that after John's death, his mother Elizabeth was told by an angel to bury him where his father lay. She was then led by the angel to the temple in which John's father was killed by Herod I, at which point

12430-840: Was established in Rome at the church of San Giovanni Battista Decollato (St. John the Baptist Beheaded). From this, it was also known as the Confraternity of St. John the Beheaded. In 1488 it became an Archconfraternity. In 1540, it was given the right to annually, on July 29, (the feast of the Beheading of St. John), designate one condemned individual to be set free. The confrerie de la Misericorde were established in Lyon, Avignon, and many other French and Belgian towns. They assist and console criminals condemned to death, accompany them to

12543-511: Was given, drawing a number of parishioners from the local church. Curés would complain that the penitents were conducting a parallel religious cult separate and in competition with the parish. The penitents "used the baroque spirituality of the Counter-Reformation, with its taste for display and collective activities, as an expression of communal religious devotion and vitality." The number of these confraternities increased to such

12656-413: Was sentenced to death and subsequently beheaded by Herod Antipas around AD 30 after John rebuked him for divorcing his wife Phasaelis and then unlawfully wedding Herodias , the wife of his brother Herod Philip I . Josephus also mentions John in the Antiquities of the Jews and states that he was executed by order of Herod Antipas in the fortress at Machaerus . Followers of John existed well into

12769-535: Was widely celebrated on 11 November in medieval and early modern England . In his study "Medieval English Martinmesse: The Archaeology of a Forgotten Festival", Martin Walsh describes Martinmas as a festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. He suggests it had pre-Christian roots. Martinmas ushered in the "winter revelling season" and involved feasting on the meat of livestock that had been slaughtered for winter provision (especially 'Martlemas beef'), drinking, storytelling, and mumming . It

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