Aha, that’s why we celebrate Sint Maarten so big in Amsterdam every year
With the exception of the past corona year, the enormous Sint Maarten Lichtjesparade has been passing through the Indische Buurt for ten years in a row. Light sculptures, painted dancers and a percussion band bring the evening of November 11 to life. But why do we celebrate this feast? We dug into the archives and proudly present the one and only story of the man who cut his cloak in half.
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You may be wondering if Sint Maarten really existed. Yes, the best man was born around the year 316 in Hungary. At a young age, Maarten became a soldier and started in the Roman army. So far not much special, so why do we still celebrate the feast of Sint Maarten every year? Well, that’s used Maarten on a cold day, at the city gate of Amiens (a city in northern France), did something special…
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Imagine even the young soldier Maarten, seated on his horse with a beautiful red cloak around his shoulders. At the city gate sits a poor, naked beggar. Maarten, a thoroughly good boy, wants the beggar and decides to give up half of his cloak. Okay, wait a minute: half? Why not his whole cloak? That was impossible, because half of the cloak was owned by Rome and Maarten could only give away ‘his’ half. We also don’t fully understand how this works, but see it as company clothing that you received from your boss and of which you paid half yourself. Not that your boss is happy with an apron cut in half, but oh well.
Mantle door middle
Back to Maarten’s cloak, which he cut in half and shared with a bum. To make the story even better, the legend of Saint Martin tells that the beggar was none other than Jesus. Reason for Maarten to leave the army and be baptized. He became bishop of the French city of Tours and spent the rest of his life promoting the spread of Christianity. In the year 397 Maarten, about eighty years old, dies of ‘fevers’.
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Saint Martin now
Because Maarten lived so exemplarily, he was canonized and became the epitome of generosity. A century ago, on his death anniversary, 11 November, beggars took to the streets for extra food, but now it is mainly the children who reap the benefits of this day. It’s all about sweets, of course! Fortunately, they did make a lantern and sing a song for you.
Super Sint Maarten Parade
Would you like to experience this spectacle yourself in Amsterdam? the Super Sint Maarten Parade will start on Thursday at 19:00 on Ambonplein. With all the lanterns and light sculptures completed by primary school students and volunteers from the neighborhood in recent weeks, the cheerful parade marches through the Indische Buurt for an hour. Usually the parade is a fire spectacle on Ambonplein, but due to the corona measures, it will be skipped in 2021. No QR code is required for the parade.