Feast of St Martin in Malta

Kindergarten Ms.Vella

The story of Saint MartinWhile Martin was a soldier in

the Roman army and deployed in Gaul, he experienced a vision. One day as he was approaching the gates of the city of Amiens, he met a beggar. He impulsively cut his military cloak in half to share with the man.

That night, Martin dreamed of Jesus wearing the half-cloak he had given away. He heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not babtized;he has clad me."

Maltese tradition (Bag of Saint Martin)A big simple colourful cloth bag

pulled with a string on top called "il-borża ta' San Martin", was placed near the children bedside, full of hard shelled almonds ("lewż"), walnuts ("ġewż"), chestnuts ("qastan"), figs ("tin"), apples ("tuffieħ"), oranges ("larinġ"), tangerines ("mandolina"), pomegranates ("rummien"), San Martin bun ("ħbejża ta' San Martin"), hard glazed on top and with a liquored sweet ("perlina tas-sugu"), stuck  in the middle of the bun.

Preparing our craft

Il-Ġewż (Walnuts)

Il-Lewż (Almonds)

Il-Qastan (Chestnuts)

It-Tin (Figs usually dried figs)

Ir-Rummiena (a Pomengrate)

Il-Larinġa (an Orange)

Il-Banana (a banana)

It-tuffieħa (an Apple)

Il-Mandolina (a Mandarin)

Il-Ħobża ta’ San Martin (Saint Martin’s Bread

The finished project- Bag of saint Martin.

What do we find in it?

A short rhyme we sing

Ġewż, Lewż, Qastan, TinKemm inħobbu lil San Martin.

(Walnuts, Almonds, Chestnuts, Figs

I love Saint Martin so much.)