CARMEL — A celebration of Saint Martin was added to the holiday festivities at the 2023 Carmel Christkindlmarkt.
In Germany, the annual St. Martin’s Day procession is celebrated earlier in November and includes lantern processions all around the country. Often, they are led by an actor dressing up as a Roman soldier on a horse.
Carmel Cristkindlmarkt’s CEO Maria Murphy says Saint Martin was a soldier who saved a homeless man from freezing to death by giving him half of his cloak. The legend is known all throughout Germany.
“He was a man who was generous, kind and giving, so we celebrate him around the holidays to remind ourselves to be generous, kind and giving,” Murphy said.
During the event at the Carmel Christkindlmarkt, kids made paper lanterns and followed a procession through shops, food stalls and crowds.
“The light [from the lanterns] is representative of the light we can spread in the world as Saint Martin did,” Murphy said.
The Carmel Christkindlmarkt has been recognized year after year as one of the best Christmas markets in the country.
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The market is open now through Dec. 24. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
For more information on the Carmel Christkindlmarkt, click here.
