2014 Lantern Celebration (St. Martin's Day)

So I totally looked at what Wikipidea could tell me about St. Martin's Day, because the little I know about it is pieced together from random conversations (in German), often with the Kindergarten teachers and lots of ambient noise in the background, or from the songs Nathanael sings about the day (also in German).  And you know how it is, trying to understand a four-year-old, singing a song in your own language.  A portion of the words are a bit off, often humorously so.  Well, imagine it in a second language!  He does great with it, but sometimes I simply have no idea what he's singing!

Anyway, here's the short description of our experience of St. Martin's Day from Wikipidea: Children walk in processions carrying lanterns, which they made in school, and sing Martin songs.  Yep, that's it.  November 11th.  Oh, and don't forget the delicious buffet at the end of the procession!

 
What was kind of funny/ironic to me this year, is that the teachers chose an English song for the repertoire:  This little light of mine.  So I grew up singing this one as a kid in church.  It was so strange to be standing in a circle with parents and children here in Vienna, listening to all these non-English speakers singing, "This little light of mine.  I'm gonna let it shine..."  I wondered if I was the only one in that circle who was thinking about my son's light in terms of "the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4)  The reality is:  I probably was.  Every morning, by request of Nathanael, we pray together by name for five of his friends and three of his teachers, that they would come to know the immeasurable joy of knowing Jesus.  It is the impact we pray will be left in this Kindergarten, this neighborhood, this city, this country...