St. Martin's Day calendar. It remains popular today, especially among young people and the rural population. Martinmas celebrates the end of the agrarian year and the beginning of the winter period. Among Estonians, Martinmas also marks the end of the period of All Souls, as well as the autumn period in the Estonian popular calendar when the souls of ancestors were worshiped, a period that lasted from November 1 to Martinmas (November 11). On this day children disguise themselves as men and go from door to door, singing songs and telling jokes to receive sweets. In Southern Estonia, November is called "Märtekuu" after
St. Martin's Day Martin, is celebrated with traditional dinners, while the day itself is rarely recognized. ("Morten" is the Danish vernacular form of "Martin".) The background is the same legend as mentioned above, but nowadays the goose is most often replaced with a duck due to size, taste and/or cost. In Estonia, Martinmas signifies the merging of Western European customs with local Finnic pagan traditions. It also contains elements of earlier worship of the dead as well as a certain year-end celebration that predates Christianity. For centuries mardipäev (Martinmas) has been one of the most important and cherished days in the Estonian folk