St. Martins day -patron saint of soldiers
First calendar day of winter in many european countries
Winters day marches in with frosts
Start of winter
Slaughter of animals laying in of stocks of cured meats in preparation for winter
Blodmonath November pre Christian thanks to gods sacrifice
Bede calls pagan rituals vanities their Sacrificing animals
Bletsein root of blessing from blot blood sacrifice
Speaking well of hallowing with words
Where Bless and bliss come far from – Meaning To make Holy hasn’t changed, only means of doing it
Saint Martin’s Day or Martinmas, (Obsolete:Martlemas[1][2][3]), and historically called Old Halloween or Old Hallowmas Eve,[4][5] is the feast dayof Saint Martin of Tours and is celebrated in the liturgical year on 11 November. In the Middle Ages and early modern period, it was an important festival in many parts of Europe, particularly Germanic-speaking regions. In these regions, it marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter[6] and the “winter revelling season”. Traditions include feasting on ‘Martinmas goose’ or ‘Martinmas beef’, drinking the first wine of the season, and mumming
Martin of Tours (died 397) was a Roman soldier who was baptized as an adult and became a bishop in Gaul. He is best known for the tale whereby he cut his cloak in half with his sword, to give half to a beggar who was dressed in only rags in the depth of winter. That night Martin had a vision of Jesus Christ wearing the half-cloak.[7][8]
In his study “Medieval English Martinmesse: The Archaeology of a Forgotten Festival”, Martin Walsh suggests that ‘Martinmas’ had roots in a pre-Christian festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter.[9] In the ancient Roman world, 10 November was reckoned as the beginning of winter,[10]while among the Insular Celtic peoples, it was marked by the 1 November festival of Samhain/Calan Gaeaf.
The feast coincides with the end of the Octave of Allhallowtide.
Martinmas was widely celebrated on 11 November in medieval and early modern England. In his study “Medieval English Martinmesse: The Archaeology of a Forgotten Festival”, Martin Walsh describes Martinmas as a festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter.[9] He suggests it had pre-Christian roots.[9] Martinmas ushered in the “winter revelling season” and involved feasting on the meat of livestock that had been slaughtered for winter provision (especially ‘Martlemas beef’), drinking, storytelling, and mumming.[9] It was a time for saying farewell to travelling ploughmen, who shared in the feast along with the harvest-workers.[9]
According to Walsh, Martinmas eventually died out in England as a result of the English Reformation, the emergence of Guy Fawkes Night (5 November), as well as changes in farming and the Industrial Revolution.[9] Today, 11 November is Remembrance Day.
