Parkin (cake) in November had many Christian festivals, and like Celtic festivals that preceded them they were celebrated with a fire and ritual cakes. November starts with All Hallows Eve, that runs into All Saints Day (1 November), which is followed by All Souls Day (2 November). Little Lent and the forty-day fast until Christmas, started at Martinmas. (11 November). On All Souls Day soul cakes were baked. The Martinmas fair was important being the traditional day when cattle were bought and sold, and servants were hired for the following year. It was also the date that cattle were slaughtered and salted
Church of St. Martin in Valaurie semicircular form inside and pentagonal form outside. Church of St. Martin in Valaurie St. Martin's Church in Valaurie (in French, ) is a Romanesque church located in Valaurie in the French department of Drôme and the Rhône-Alpes region of France. The church dates from the second century. Yet its first foundations date from the fifth century. This parish church was also a place of worship of the priory near the village, just outside Valaurie. The entire building was damaged numerous times, notably by an earthquake in 1934 and during World War II, when the bell was cracked. Its condition has