Although there are a number of similarities between the parties, according to Strouken there are also a number of important differences that make it easy for the parties to coexist.
In the 1920s, St. Martin’s Day took the form we know today: a parade with lights. Before that, the festival mainly revolved around a begging march, a form of ‘informal poor relief’. Poor people then went through richer neighborhoods asking for money and fruit.
“In Sint Maarten they used to celebrate the beginning of the bad time, the winter time,” says Strouken. “That’s why the poor went door to door to beg.”
A real children’s party
In addition, St. Martin’s fires were held, often with music, food and drinks. After the First World War, the celebration gradually changed: it became a parade for children with lights and singing songs. The traditional treats of fruit and money were replaced by sweets (and sometimes fruit), making St. Martin’s Day into a real children’s festival.
The festival also mainly revolves around Saint Martin. “It is by definition: care for others, give and take. This is where the party really differs from Halloween.”
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