Martinmas
Sorry if these photos aren't great, but if you could have seen the weather! We celebrated Martinmas one day late last evening on an adventurous walk with some wonderful friends. I left my big camera at home as the weather could only be best described as "sleeting" as we drove to meet everyone. I'm glad I did have my phone, though, and that I have at least some photos to remember this evening.
Martinmas is special to me. It really was my first introduction to Waldorf years ago. We've only celebrated it for the last three years, but I truly look forward to it so much. Martin is a family surname, and so I feel that connection to St. Martin, but it is the beauty in what we are celebrating that makes it one of my favourite annual festivities. Martinmas reminds us to allow our inner light and being to shine as the world around us darkens in preparation for winter, and it celebrates human kindness in such a gentle way. It's lovely to celebrate this, no? When I stop and think that we take a day to honour these things it fills me with hope and gratitude.
And so back to the walk. Did I mention the sleeting rain? It was also cold. Very cold. Even still, our friends showed up just as excited as we were and with the most gorgeous lanterns. We chose to walk at dusk down a little path in the woods that leads to a sweet little pond. We stopped there to have a snack- popcorn, chocolate and cranberries, hearty cookies, and hot mulled cider, but it seemed to start raining harder! Announcing Martinmas officially celebrated we quickly gathered our things as the little ones began voicing they had indeed had enough! As we hurried across a little wooden bridge and back to the trail, somewhere from deep in the forest and the dark of night we heard a horse bray. St. Martin's horse, perhaps?
I like to think so.
Thank you friends, and happy Martinmas to all!
