St. Martin's Day Birthday" for those named after this saint. Small presents or money are common gifts for this special occasion. Tradition says that if it snows on the feast of St. Martin, November 11, then St. Martin came on a white horse and there will be snow on Christmas day. However, if it doesn't snow on this day, then St. Martin came on a dark horse and it will not snow on Christmas. A Czech proverb connected with the Feast of St. Martin - "Martin přijíždí na bílém koni" (trans. "Martin is coming on a white horse") - signifies that the first
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