A guide to Mortens Aften

Photographs: Tue Hansen

Text: Heather Storgaard

Happy 10th of November! Have you ever celebrated Mortens Aften before? If not, this is your year to add another evening of festivities to your calendar.

Legend

The story goes that St Martin, as he is known in English, was a Roman soldier in central France in the 4th century. He became so popular that the town of Tours wanted to select him as their bishop, but Martin did not want the job. He tried to hide himself, choosing a goose coop, but the dreadful geese honked until the towns people found him and got their way. For that reason, geese are traditionally eaten on St Martin’s Eve!

Food

You may be thinking – I have celebrated Mortens Aften and certainly didn’t eat goose. That would be because this has long been replaced by eating duck in most Danish households. I have heard of a variety of reasons for this, from the fact that Danish families are now too small to need a whole goose to duck simply being cheaper. However, stories of celebratory gatherings at this time of year go much further back than mentions of Mortens Aften and geese. Traditionally, this time of year would mark the end of the harvest season and the coming of real winter. It seems likely that we have maybe taken a story and twisted it to create justification for gathering together and enjoying a rich meal, finding joy as the nights get longer.

International traditions

Chances are, if you come from continental Europe, you will have your own St Martin traditions to mix in with the Danish ones. The holiday is widely celebrated across Europe, from Sicily to Latvia, Malta, and Sweden. While the goose or duck is familiar to me from Switzerland and Germany, the tradition is expanded on further in German-speaking Europe with parades and bonfires, lighting up the dark nights similarly to the British Guy Fawkes a few days earlier.

"Traditionally, this time of year would mark the end of the harvest season and the coming of real winter."

Polish pastries

In Poland, St Martin’s Day is also National Independence Day, and there are large festivities. In Poznan, it is famous for being a day of croissants filled with a paste of almonds and white poppy seeds. An increasingly popular phenomenon of high-quality cult bakeries has seen this tradition spread and become competitive. Maybe it is the time of year to look out for special croissants at your local Polish shops.

Wine

If we accept an internationalised Mortens Aften, we can begin to look at wine to go with the Danish duck. In the French tradition, St Martin is credited with spreading wine making, mainly the Chenin Blanc grape, to the region of Tours. In Slovenian Maribor, home to what is said to be the oldest living vine in the world, St Martin’s Day still means a wine festival complete with a ‘Wine Queen’. In many parts of Europe, this season would have traditionally been the end of the wine-making period following the harvesting of grapes in September and October. What better excuse for a Monday tipple?

Mix it up!

For me, living internationally is all about mixing up traditions. Taking the best from various countries to which you have connections gives a rich life, full of celebratory moments. Spending Mortens Aften with friends from around Europe or the world would certainly give you a delicious evening.