Waldorf Lantern Walk Ideas -A Martinmas Tradition

Many Waldorf schools and Waldorf-inspired homeschoolers observe the Festival of Martinmas on November 11 each year, and you might enjoy creating a little festival with a Lantern Walk to celebrate with your family or a group of homeschooling friends.

Anything involving children carrying homemade lanterns will surely be charming to adults and children alike.

Learn the History of Martinmas

Who was St. Martin?

Martinmas originated in France in honor of St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier turned bishop who was, as Wikipedia describes, "known as friend of the children and patron of the poor" in the fourth century.

Legend has it that St. Martin shared his cloak with a beggar by cutting it in half to save the beggar from the cold night (he is often called the patron saint of beggars). That night, St. Martin had a vision of Jesus Christ wearing half of the cloak.

What is the Martinmas festival?

The festival spread from France through Germany, the rest of Europe, and Scandinavia, and it is somewhat like American Thanksgiving—a feast of sharing and gratefulness. Because it is held in November, in this part of the world, it occurs as autumn ends and winter is coming on, marking a time of full barns and completed harvest in preparation for winter.

The traditional feast food in Europe is goose, a reference to St. Martin hiding in a goose pen in his effort to avoid being ordained Bishop. The goose did not appreciate his presence, and their uproar at his presence gave him away.

Many feasts and festivals are held during dark winter days, and one of the most endearing traditions of the festival is that of children carrying Martinmas lanterns in the dark while singing to keep light and music in the world. The Lantern Walk aspect of Martinmas originated in some German- and Dutch-speaking towns, where children originally carried paper or turnip lanterns.

The Lantern Walk

When our homeschool group (where only a handful of families were truly Waldorf-inspired homeschoolers) celebrated Martinmas, each child worked ahead of time at home to create a homemade lantern to carry on the annual Lantern Walk around a local lake.

There was every kind of lantern created from every kind of material. There were delicate paper lanterns, industrial aluminum can lanterns, and what one friend of ours called "candle-on-a-stick."

Our kids put candles in large mason jars they painted, and they added handles that they could use to carry their lanterns outstretched in front of them.

When we gathered as a group, the children oohed and ah-ed over one another's lanterns and asked questions about flame-worthiness, which was, admittedly, an interesting point.

We shared a meal, heard the Legend of St. Martin story, and waited for darkness to settle. Then, the families began their Lantern Walk—with concerned adults sprinkled among the children, enjoying their swaying lanterns while singing songs about light in the world.

As we strung out around the lake's perimeter, the children saw the lanterns reflected in the water, and the effect was magical and memorable.

Organize a Martinmas Festival for Kids

You can plan your own celebration with your homeschooling group or family and friends. Some elements to consider including in your celebration are a Lantern Walk, sharing food and warm beverages before or after the walk, singing lantern songs or songs about light, and a coat exchange (or collecting coats for donation).

Lantern craft ideas

The highlight of a Lantern Walk is, of course, the lanterns. Making lanterns for a Lantern Walk is a great way for kids to express their individuality and share their creations with others. There are many lantern-making methods (see our DIY lantern crafts below).

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Battery-operated tea lights or votives are ideal luminaries for lanterns that children will be carrying, and you can even get them with flickering lights. Submersible tea lights are a safe choice if you are floating your lanterns. Hangers are available for Mason jar lanterns for both regular and wide mouth jars.

Kite paper is ideal for creating paper lanterns, but paper lantern craft kits are available for those wanting a ready-to-make solution.

Hangers for wide mouth jars	Hangers for regular mouth jars
Paper Lantern Craft Kit	Kite paper

DIY Lanterns for a Martinmas Lantern Walk

Star Lantern

(Source: Our Crafty World)

Milk Jug Lantern

(Source: The Gingerbread House)

Peanut Butter Jar Lantern

(Source: Barley and Birch)

Rainbow Woven Lantern

(Source: Teach Beside Me)

Fairy House Lantern

(Source: Crafts by Amanda)

Leaf Lanterns

(Source: Happiness is Homemade)

Mason Jar Map Lantern

(Source: DIY Candy)

Dodecahedron Star Lantern

(Source: Happiness is Homemade)

Lantern songs

The Cincinnati Waldorf School Community Singers produced a lovely collection of ten songs for a Lantern Walk, including the easy-to-learn Lantern Song about a lamp that needs kindling because "the sunlight fast is dwindling." An easy song to use during your walk that many children already know is "This Little Light of Mine."

Martinmas feast

Historically, the Martinmas festival, which fell at the end of the harvest, included a feast. You may want to share a potluck meal, autumn foods like ginger cookies, gingerbread, and caramel apples, or simply enjoy hot cider or hot chocolate together.

This adorable Weckmann is a fun addition to a Martinmas feast.

St. Martin's Day Weckmann

(Source: Our Crafty World)

Recommended reading

Books

Snow on Martinmas	All Year Round: Christian Calendar of Celebrations
The Wheel of the Year: An Illustrated Guide to Nature's Rhythms	Festivals Together: Guide to Multi-cultural Celebration