St. Martinsumzug Wittlich

Saint Martin on the Moselle

The St. Martin's Day festival on November 11 (or the weekend before or after) is deeply rooted in the predominantly Catholic Moselle-Hunsrück region. It commemorates Saint Martin of Tours, who, according to legend, shared his coat with a freezing beggar as a Roman soldier – a symbol of lived neighborly love. In Wittlich, the district town in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district, the festival is celebrated every year with a large lantern parade.

Lanterns, Horse, and Coat Sharing

The parade starts in the early evening, as soon as dusk sets in. Kindergarten groups, school classes, clubs, and families gather with their homemade lanterns at the meeting point in the city center. Saint Martin in Roman costume rides at the front, followed by a music band that strikes up the classic St. Martin songs – “Sankt Martin, Sankt Martin,” “Ich geh mit meiner Laterne,” “Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne.” At the destination, usually a central square, the act of sharing the coat is reenacted, a short story is told, and everyone sings together.

Children's Festival and City Community

Afterwards, kindergartens often distribute St. Martin's pretzels or 'Weckmänner' (sweet bread rolls) to the children, accompanied by hot punch and mulled wine for the adults. The St. Martinsumzug is one of Wittlich's few truly intergenerational city events: grandparents, parents, and children walk together through the sea of lights from the lanterns.