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All Things German In California

Saint Martin's Day

Halloween & Saint Martin's Lantern Parades in California

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laternen

November is here in less than a week! This is the month when winter sneaks up on us with its dark and foggy days – at least in Germany…

November 1st usually has a melancholy note, when many families in Germany observe Allerheiligen and Allerseelen ( All Saints & All Souls Day) by visiting graves of their deceased loved ones. Therefor we are looking forward to festive events like Saint Martin’s Day with its lantern parades, and the First Advent, that often starts towards the end of November, and which will bring us closer to the much anticipated Christmas celebration.

As expats, we love to enjoy some of our German traditions also in our country of choice and here, in California, German schools are doing a great job in honoring these. And so, around November 11th, the official Saint Martin’s Day, you might even find some Saint Martin’s Day celebrations wtih a traditional lantern parade in your proximity. At some events you are invited to build your own lantern while enjoying some Glühwein and getting into holiday mood!

Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool in West L.A. is starting out early this year with a special Enchanted Halloween which is taking place already this weekend!!

GermanSchoolCampus in Newport Beach, Bay Area Kindergarten in Berkeley/Albany, GISSV in San Francisco, German Pacific School in San Diego, all have their events in the beginning of November 2016!

Please find detailed information on each event below:

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Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool -ENCHANTED HALLOWEEN  Saturday, October 29, 4:30pm

This is an evening of magic and enchantment for the children, and it is open to the community. Our annual event is for children ages one to seven. Please come by and wear your not scary (!) costume. It’s a magical evening where the Queen of Fairies will enchant the children! 

Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool       
3170 Stoner Avenue,
Mar Vista,
CA 90066

For questions contact us at TivoliRainbowGarden @gmail.com

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Suggested Donation: $10

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GermanSchoolCampus in Newport Beach                                          Saturday, November 5th at 6:30 pm

Join us in our Lantern Parade in Irvine, in front of Ute’s Kinderschule, on Saturday, November 5th at 6:30pm. Please notify us of your attendance so we can plan accordingly and be sure to have enough lanterns and don’t forget to bring a jacket!

Like last year we are planning on ordering the “Weckmännchen,” a special pastry tradition on St. Martin’s Day. We will also have a snack and Lemonade for after the parade. Please pre-order your “Weckmännchen” to be sure that your child will get one and will not be left out. Price is only $10 each!

Children under age of 6 please contact Frau Ute at:
Ute Chiu (uteskinderschule@gmail.com)
Children above 7 years please contact Frau Ursula at: Ursula.Schoeneich@Germanschoolcampus.com

Children need to be chaperoned by their parents!

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Laternenfest at Bay Area Kinderstube in Albany                            Saturday, November 12 at 4:00pm

Come celebrate the German tradition of St. Martin’s Day with us at Bay Area Kinderstube in Albany!
See our children perform on stage, sing songs with us, and join our annual lantern parade. You can bring your own lantern or buy one from us!
Enjoy seasonal treats including “Glühwein” (mulled wine), beer, hot chocolate, grilled sausages, “Weckmänner” (a German sweet bread) and soft pretzels.
Don’t miss the chance to win one of many incredible gift baskets at our raffle!
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Bay Area Kinderstube
842 Key Route Boulevard
Albany, CA 94706

Admission fee:
$2 individual / $5 family

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GISSV – Schule  – GISSV San Francisco Campus (4 & 8 Funston Avenue) Saturday, November 5 at 3 PM – 7 PM

Save the date and join us for the 2nd annual GISSV San Francisco Laternenfest/Lantern Festival & Parade in the Presidio on Saturday, November 5 from 3 to 7 pm!

Join us for a fun and festive afternoon in the Presidio! There will be crafts, lantern making, food, drinks and a lantern parade around the neighborhood.

Schedule of Events

CRAFTS + ACTIVITIES (in + around 4 Funston Ave)
3:00 – 4:30 pm: Lantern Making Craft
3:00 – 4:15 pm: Kinder Program Activities (Face-Painting, Games, etc)

PERFORMANCES (lawn between 4 & 5 Funston Ave)
4:30 – 5:15 pm

LANTERN PARADE (start at 4 Funston Ave)
5:30 – 6:00 pm

FOOD + DRINKS
3:00 – 7:00 pm: Bake Sale, Pretzels + Coffee, Water and Apple Spritzer (Apfelschorle)
4:00 – 7:00 pm: Hot Cider + Puch for Children (Kinderpunsch)
4:00 – 7:30 pm: Little Red Riding Truck

For more information, visit gissv.org/laternenfest

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Albert Einstein Academy San Diego                                                      Saturday, November 5th, 4-7pm

The 15th Annual Lantern Festival will take place at the AEA Elementary School on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 from 4-7 pm. It has become a wonderful tradition for the whole family to enjoy. Join us in celebrating a 100-year-old German tradition with food and drinks, singing, and ending with a traditional lantern walk around the neighborhood.

In the spirit of Saint Martin’s gift to a coatless beggar, we will be collecting gently used coats and blankets for those in need again this year. The collection for these items will start a few days before the festival.

Please join us for a bratwurst dinner, bake sale, and music. The event will end with a Lantern Parade around the neighborhood.

Students in grades K-4 will be crafting Lanterns with their German teachers. If you have a younger or older child that is interested in making a Lantern to carry for the walk, please visit this Lantern Crafting website for ideas and templates. Sticks and lights for the Lanterns will be available for purchase at the event.

For more information on the St. Martin’s Day Tradition and Laternenumzug, please check this out Martinstag (St. Martin’s Day).

Date and Time
Saturday, November 5th, 2016, 4-7 pm

Location
Albert Einstein Academies Elementary School
3035 Ash St, San Diego, CA, 92102 (map)

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German Pacific School San Diego                                                               Sunday, November 6th,  4:30-6:30pm

GPSSD is planning its Lantern Parade for Sunday, 6. November from 4pm-6:30pm in Mission Bay, with Brats, Sauerkraut and ‘Weckmänner’. Join them for a parade, a campfire and a ‘half’-potluck in Mission Bay!

Please bring a small dish to share 🙂

For more information on exact location and time, please contact the school at germanpacificschool@gmail.com or call (858)-461-9118

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German Language School of Marin                                                                 Saturday, November 12th, 5:30pm

Join the German Language School of Marin on November 12 at 5:30pm for a Laternenfest in Novato & Santa Rosa!

Lantern Festival, Music Parade, and Refreshments

We will have a lantern parade and refreshments will be available. We’ll meet at the locations below to light our lanterns (with flameless candles) before beginning our parade. Afterwards we will have hot chocolate and Weckmänner cookies available if desired.

In Novato
We will meet on Saturday, November 12 at 5:30pm at Pioneer Park in Novato (map it). Help us plan! Please RSVP to Kristina Paster, Events Manager, by email, call us at 415.897.9771, or let us know during school on Saturday if you would like to join us and would like cookies.

In Santa Rosa
We will meet on Saturday, November 12 at 5:30pm at our school campus in Santa Rosa (map it). Please RSVP to Susanne Ivarson, Santa Rosa Campus Manager, by email, call us at 415.897.9771, or let us know during school on Saturday if you would like to join us and would like Weckmänner cookies.

The parade is free! Only $5 per person if you would like a cup of hot chocolate and Weckmänner cookies afterward. Everyone is welcome, so bring friends!

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weckmann

Weckmann Stutenkerl – Gebildebrot aus Hefeteig mit Pfeife (WikiMediaCommons)

 

 

 

St. Martin's Day and Lantern Parades in CA

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Sankt Martin Edit

The legend of Saint Martin, Lantern Parades and where to celebrate it here in CA

The end of Halloween marks the start of the festive season here in the USA. In Germany however that important day heralding that winter and in fact Christmas season is almost here, is Saint Martin’s Day traditionally celebrated on November 11th, the day where the USA observes Veterans Day.

Saint Martin’s Day or Sankt Martins Tag is a day that children prepare for with eager anticipation. Already days before you can find children busy at Kindergarten, schools and at home handcrafting their personalized lantern for the ‘Sankt Martins Umzug’, a lantern parade, that usually starts when it is dark in late afternoon. Children then walk together with their lanterns around their neighborhoods and sing traditional songs like “Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne….”

Sankt Martin’s Legend

On Saint Martin’s Day we celebrate Martinus, a man, who around 334 A.D. was a soldier for the Roman Empire and on one freezing cold winter night on his way to the city encountered a poor beggar dressed only in rags. Out of pity with the poor man he halted his horse and since he had nothing else to give cut his warm, red soldier cloak in half to give one half to the freezing man. That night it is said that Jesus appeared in Martin’s dream letting him know that it was in fact him Martin had shared the cloak with. After that event Martin got baptized and later in life became bishop of  Tours. Legend has it that Saint Martin was reluctant to become bishop and hid in a stable filled with geese. Their cackling however gave away Saint Martin’s hiding place and he was discovered. For that reason the traditional food on Saint Martin’s Day is roasted goose!

Celebrating Saint Martin with a Lantern Parade in California

Irvine:

Ute’s KinderSchule in cooperation with GermanSchoolCampus has a lantern parade in Irvine on November 11, starting at 6pm. Location: 28 Silkgrass, Irvine, CA 92614  . Please confirm your participation by emailing either school: UtesKinderSchule@gmail.com or principal@germanschoolcampus.com               As a special treat, there will be ‘Weckmänner’ (a traditional pastry) for the children to eat after the event.  A dona􏰀tion of $10 to the schools would be appreciated.

Los Angeles: 

Tivoli Kindergarten LA has its traditional Lantern Parade on Tuesday, November 10th (!) starting the parade with self made lanterns at 5:30 pm. Meeting point is: Mar Vista Park (picnic tables close to playground), 11430 Woodbine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90066 . The parking lot is on Woodbine Street. For more information please contact: TivoliRainbowGarden@gmail.com

Menlo Park:

GAIS – German-American International School in Silicon Valley will hold its traditional lantern parade on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. The event will begin with a “Shadow Play” and the lighting of the lanterns, followed by a walk around the neighborhood. Refreshments and Weckmänner will be available for purchase after the walk. Location: 275 Elliott Drive, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 For more information call: 650-324-8617

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Image: Gebhard Fugel, German Painter 1863-1939)

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Sankt Martins Tag, Faschings Anfang und Veterans Day

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Saint Martin's day in Germany
Image via Wikipedia

November 11th marks one very anticipated day for children in Germany. Sankt Martins Tag is the unofficial start of the holiday season and with its festive celebration ringing in  the magic times ahead and the most favorite holiday sesaon of the year: Christmas.

In Germany it’s custom to celebrate the generous roman soldier, who later got baptized, with a “Laternenumzug”. The celebration starts in the evening when the children gather with their self-made little lanterns for a procession singing St. Martin’s songs. Oftentimes the legend of St. Martin is acted out and brings to life one of the most famous legends about him: Saint Martin was a Roman soldier and a very kind man.  Once during a snowstorm, he cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar to save him from dying of the cold.

Traditional is also to hand out “Weckmaenner” a baked ‘man’ reminiscent of a gingerbread man perhaps, but not made of sweet cookie dough but rather formed out of sweet yeast dough. For a recipe follow the link to an article on the German- Info website

Oddly enough November 11 is also the start of the Fasching/Carnival season in Germany. It’s the kick-off for the fool season and Faschings clubs make their plans for upcoming parties and parades.

Here in the US, Veterans Day is being observed on November 11th. It’s a public holiday honoring military veterans.

Saint Martin’s Day

Veterans Day