Martinmas, Armistice, Veterans' Day, November 11

Ancient Feasts and Holy Days Lead to Today's Remberance of Soldiers

Nov 11, 2009 Teresa Knudsen

Pagans observed November as their new year, a feast time, by killing animals. The tradition evolved to St. Martin's Eve, thence to Armistice Day, now Veteran's Day.

In her book The House on the Strand, author Daphne du Maurier wrote a tale of a man, Richard, who takes a drug that lets him travel to the past. Landing in twelfth century England, early medieval times, he watches in the cold weather as peasants observe the yearly ritual of killing farm animals so there would be food for the coming winter.

After witnessing the event, Richard muses, "I had forgotten St. Martin's Eve was November 11th. An odd coincidence of dates. Slaughter of oxen, pigs and sheep, and in the world of today a commemoration of uncounted numbers slain in battle." Thus, Daphne du Maurier links Martinmas with our modern commemoration of veterans of wars.

Pagan and Early Christian Traditions

Traditionally, the pagan new year's eve was on October 31, the end of harvest time, and the beginning of winter. In Greece, this was the festival of Dionysis, the god of wine.

The early Christian church tended to deal with pagan holidays not by destroying them, but by covering them with Christianity. In this case, the feast of Dionysis was replaced with the feast of Saint Martin.

Martinmas, Feast Day of St. Martin, Patron Saint of Consciencous Objectors

Saint Martin was the patron saint of soldiers. His feast day was November 11, and known as Saint Martin's Day, or Mass of Martin, Martinmas. Saint Martin is often shown with his sword, which he used to tear his cloak in half to share with a beggar.

According to Pip Wilson, Martin of Tours, who died November 11, 397, is the patron saint of "conscientious objection to military service." Wilson's website states, "This saint is usually shown in art as a young mounted soldier and often shown renouncing the sword, for he decided at a young age that military service was contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ. For his principles, he was thrown into prison."

World War I and from Armistice Day to Veterans' Day

In the Treaty of Versailles, World War I was ended in the year 1918, on "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month." A year later, President Woodrow Wilson declared the day "Armistice Day," As noted by Beverly Hernandez, in her article "Celebrate Veterans' Day," this occasion remembered WWI veterans through parades and speeches, and was officially declared a federal holiday in 1938.

Hernandez explains that Armistice Day was first referred to as Veteran's Day in 1953, by the city of Emporia, Kansas. This date was formalized by President Richard Nixon in 1971.

Other Remembrances

Besides the remembrances of soldiers, November 11 is the day of execution for Ned Kelly, the date of the execution of protesters associated with Chicago's Haymarket Square, and Kurt Vonnegut's birthday. The eleventh day of the eleventh month continues to hold meaning, both good and bad, for modern people, continuing the ancient traditions of the beginning of winter, and honoring the people who fight for a better world.

References

Du Maurier, Daphne. The House on the Strand. New York: Avon Books, 1969, p. 66.

Hernandez, Beverly. "Celebrate Veterans' Day, History and Origin of Veterans' Day."

"History of Veterans Day."

Wilson, Pip. Wilson's Almanac, Book of Days. Nobember 11.

The copyright of the article Martinmas, Armistice, Veterans' Day, November 11 in Historical Resources is owned by Teresa Knudsen. Permission to republish Martinmas, Armistice, Veterans' Day, November 11 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.