Sint Maarten (Saint Martin’s Day)
Don’t be surprised to see lanterns bobbing past the window and little visitors knocking at the door on the evening of 11 November as children across the Netherlands celebrate Saint Martin’s Day.
Trick or Treat Dutch style
On the evening of 11 November, children carry colourful paper lanterns with lights in them and go door-to-door singing songs in hopes of getting candy.
Saint Martin's Day (known as Sint Maartenfeest in Dutch) began as a church holiday. Later on, poor people would visit farms on 11 November (the day Saint Martin died) to get extra food for the winter. Over time it became more of a children's event, with lanterns and songs. Although it is often compared to Halloween, it is quite different both in it's history and traditions.
Sint Maarten in Amsterdam
Saint Martin's Day is celebrated across the city, though perhaps more-so in the newer urban developments. In the Vondelpark there is a particularly magical event which takes place each year: a lantern-lit Sint Maarten parade through the park.
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