11 November is St Martin’s Feast and last Friday we celebrated this at school. All children got a Ħbejża ta’ San Martin and a few lucky ones got the traditional Borża ta’ San Martin, a small bag full of goodies!

The are many stories and traditions associated with St Martin. It is said for example, that one day, St Martin came across a pauper who was feeling very cold. Feeling sorry for him, St Martin cut his cloak in half and shared it with the poor man. As a reward for this kind gesture, God provided nice weather until St Martin arrived to his destination. The spell of nice weather we usually get at the beginning of November is thus known as is-Sajf ta’ San Martin or St Martin’s summer.

There are many other traditions associated with the St Martin. The feast is also celebrated in many other countries. You can read more about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Tours
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin’s_Day