St Martin's Day

on Saturday we celebrated St. Martin's Day. i'm still a bit foggy on the significance of St Martinus but i know it has a lot to do with light and helping others out (my dutch needs some work before i can tell you what exactly is going on all the time - and until then i'll have to look him up in our encyclopedia of saints in the library). on that day, children make a lantern and walk outside and ask candy of people. tradition has it that Br Luc lowers from his window a basket full of candy and mandarins from his window for the children. it's usually the last stop for the community children - and quite a highlight i'm told. unfortunately, this year, Br Luc was on vacation at that time. since i had the key, i thought that such a tradition ought to be continued - and it can't be that hard, so i could stand in for him. (of course, i really had no idea of what i was volunteering for when i volunteered :))

Br Luc lives almost at the top of the building. when i look out his window, i can see the tops of most of the other houses. you have to go up at least 4 flights of stairs to get to his place. so lowering a basket out of his window on a rope is slightly complicated. but as i got help in getting a rope and finding something as a basket (a small child's swing - i had to stuff the leg holes with a bag) and getting the candy (i did it while i was doing groceries Saturday morning), it felt good to know that i was helping carry on a tradition. and as i saw the children walk to the house across the street - there were about 20 children plus 10 adults so it was quite a group, it was fun to hear them. unfortunately for them no one was home. so they left proclaiming (somewhat loudly) that a greedy one lives there :)

and then they rang the doorbell to my apartment last. and i let down the candy (and the rope was barely long enough - so in order to get candy, i had to hang on to the top of the rope and the kids had to reach up a bit :))

and it was definitely a highlight. and i was glad to be part of something that was loud and entertaining and joyful in a way that much of what else that goes on in our street is not. and hopefully our neighbours will ask what is different about our house - and the community that brings its joy and its children and its traditions out into the midst of the streets and the tourists.