Feast of St. Martin

The feast of St. Martin, famously known as the St. Martin’s Day is a major holiday in the Czech Republic. It is an age old Czech tradition to celebrate the completion of crop seeding among the Slavic people. This holiday is also known as Martinmas or Martinstag. In ancient times, people would get hired during this festival to work on various agricultural farms. So, apart from religious traditions, it also had an impact on the overall socioeconomic state of the Czech people. St. Martin was a Roman soldier who was widely known for his philanthropy. And as a tribute to him, Christians celebrate the 11th of November as the feast of Saint Martin.

Golden roasted goose is the traditional food served at the feast of Saint Martin. There is a myth that some geese interrupted Saint Martin while he was doing his holy work. So, in his honor, the Czechs roast them as a form of punishment. The goose is typically served with potato and bread. It is also served with the Saint Martin’s wine, which is the first produced wine of each year. And for dessert, you can have a traditional roll with poppy seeds and plum jam. You can get these foods in most restaurants during the festival. Some restaurants also serve the wine at exactly 11:11 AM.

While in Prague you can also visit some famous vineyards, like St. Clares, to enjoy the Saint Martin’s wine. You can also visit the St. Wenceslas vineyard, which is located in Prague castle, to enjoy the accompanying cuisines of the Czech traditions. There are also some famous restaurants that serve this food during Martinmas. Pay a visit to the Triton restaurant on Wenceslas square or La degustation Boheme Burgeiose for a sheer culinary delight. Both of these restaurants serve Czech traditional foods and the accompanying wines.

You can also become a part of the St. Martin’s processions as an accompanying magician or a peasant woman on the 11^th of November. These processions are free for all and anyone can join them. Martinmas is celebrated from the 11th to 17th of November in Prague. There are several Prague bus tours for travelers from various countries. So wear a traditional Moravian dress, go to the city square, and join all these festive people to enjoy this amazing festival.