Kdo je bil sveti Martin?
Sveti Martin se je rodil v 4. stoletju na ozemlju današnje Madžarske. Pri 10 letih je postal kristjan, kar je bilo za tiste čase nenavadno, saj je ta vera bila zastopana v manjšini. Kot sin častnika veterana je bil primoran, da se pridruži pomožni konjeniški enoti. V vojski je služil vse do bitke pri Borbetomagusu, ko se je nenadoma odločil, da se kot zvest katoličan ne more več bojevati kot vojak.
Zaradi strahopetnosti so ga aretirali in vrgli v ječo, nato pa se je javil, da se bo boril neoborožen v prvi bojni liniji, saj je vedel, da ga bo sam Bog varoval. Še preden pa je do te bitke prišlo, je nasprotna stran zahtevala mir, tako da do bitke ni prišlo, Martina pa so izpustili. Po odhodu iz vojske je postal menih. Za čase njegovega življenja obstaja veliko zgodb o tem, da je na njegovih potovanjih delal čudeže. Ob neki priložnosti naj bi tri moške obudil od mrtvih.
Med svojimi potovanji je obiskal številna mesta. Ob prihodu v eno izmed mest so želeli, da bi pomagal bolnikom, a so ga na koncu odpeljali v cerkev, da bi postal škof. Ker mu ta naziv ni ugajal, je pobegnil in se skril v hlev poln gosi. Ker so se goske oglašale, so tako izdale, kje se je skrival. Zato je še danes običaj, da se na Martinovo je gos.
Sveti Martin je postal vzor dobrega krščanskega življenja. Postal je simbol pravičnosti, poštenosti in pobožnosti. Umrl je 8. novembra, pokopan pa je bil 11. novembra in zato se ta dan praznuje dan svetega Martina.
Na dan svetega Martina pa ne praznujemo le v čast njegovega življenja, ampak tudi konec agrarnega leta in konec žetve. Martinovo sovpada s koncem trgatve in tako Slovenci ta dan praznujemo dan, ko naj bi iz mošta nastalo vino. Za martinovo se običajno je pečeno gos ali raco z mlinci in dušeno rdeče zelje.
Saint Martin was born in the 4th century in the territory of today's Hungary. At the age of 10, he became a Christian, which was unusual for those times, as this religion was represented in the minority. As the son of a veteran officer, he was forced to join an auxiliary cavalry unit. He served in the army until the Battle of Borbetomagus, when he suddenly decided that, as a faithful Catholic, he could no longer fight as a soldier.Because of his cowardice, he was arrested and thrown into prison, and then he volunteered to fight unarmed in the front line, knowing that God would protect him. But even before this battle took place, the opposing side demanded peace, so the battle did not take place, and Martin was released. After leaving the army, he became a monk. During his lifetime, there are many stories of him performing miracles on his travels. On one occasion, he allegedly raised three men from the dead.
He visited many cities during his travels. When he arrived in one of the cities, they wanted him to help the sick, but in the end they took him to the church to become a bishop. Not liking this title, he ran away and hid in a barn full of geese. Since the geese were making noises, people heard where he was hiding. That is why it is still customary to eat a goose on St. Martin's Day.
Saint Martin became a model of a good Christian life. He became a symbol of justice, honesty and piety. He died on the 8th of November and was buried on the 11th of November, which is why this day is celebrated as Saint Martin's Day.
On Saint Martin's Day, we celebrate not only in honor of his life, but also the end of the agrarian year and the end of the harvest. St. Martin's Day coincides with the end of the harvest, and so Slovenians celebrate the day when wine is supposed to be made from the must. For Saint Martin's Day, roast goose or duck is usually served with shredded flatbread and stewed red cabbage.
VIRI:
https://www.iamexpat.de/expat-info/german-expat-news/history-saint-martins-day (november 2022)
https://www.slovenia.info/sl/zgodbe/martinovanje-veselje-ob-novi-letini-vina (november 2022)