With autumn here, it gets darker so much earlier in the day. It’s the perfect time for an activity that brings light into the darkness! Waldorf families traditionally make lanterns and go for a lantern walk to celebrate Martinmas, which is a story about a man named Martin who came across a beggar in the cold and decided to share half of his cloak with him. I’m going to discuss what Martinmas is, how to make your own fall leaf lanterns, and how you can celebrate Martinmas too (even if you missed November 11th)!
Table of contents
What is Martinmas?
Martinmas is a holiday that occurs on November 11th to celebrate Saint Martin (you can still enjoy this holiday in a secular way). The story goes that Martin came across a beggar freezing outside and he wanted to help him. He took his sword and cut his cloak in half, giving a piece to the beggar so he could stay warm. If you’re wondering why he kept the other half, it’s because you have to take care of yourself in order to be able to take care of others–an important message to parents out there! Later that night, Martin had a dream that the beggar was wrapped in light and he was actually Christ. The story is about being kind and spreading light, even in small ways.
The story of Martinmas
As Martinmas comes closer, you can share the story of Martin’s kindness with your children before making your very own leaf lanterns.
Here is a secular toddler friendly version of the story:
A long time ago, there was a kind and gentle man named Martin. Martin was a soldier who rode a big brown horse. Even though he wore shiny armor and carried a sword, he had a very soft heart.
One cold night, Martin was riding through a town. The wind was blowing, and the air felt icy. As he rode, he saw a man sitting on the side of the road. The man was shivering because he had no coat—just thin clothes that couldn’t keep him warm.
Martin wanted to help, but he didn’t have extra clothes or blankets with him. So he stopped his horse, took off his own warm red cloak, and cut it in half. He gave half of his cloak to the cold man. The man wrapped it around himself and smiled. Now, he wasn’t freezing anymore.
That night, Martin had a dream. In the dream, he saw a warm, glowing light, and he heard a gentle voice saying that when you help someone who is cold or lonely or in need, you are spreading that warm light into the world.
From then on, people celebrated Martin’s kindness. Every year, when the evenings start getting dark, families and children walk outside with little lanterns. The lanterns glow like tiny warm lights in the night, reminding everyone that even one small act of kindness can make the world brighter.
And that is the story of Martinmas.
For a short circle time version for young ones, you can share this:
Now that autumn is here, the nights grow darker. One cold night, long ago, there was a kind man named Martin. Martin saw a man who was shivering in the wind. Martin stopped, took his warm red cloak, and shared half of it to help keep the man warm. His kindness made a little light in the darkness. Every time we are kind, we make our own little light too.
How to make a leaf lantern
The annual tradition of making a leaf lantern is a reminder that we can be kind to those around us and what a difference even small gestures of kindness can make. After the lantern is made, children can go for a walk outside once the sun goes down with their families and friends to symbolize this, or if it’s too cold, the walk can be done inside the house or in the backyard. Below is how we made our leaf lantern and following that are some ideas on how you can do your own lantern walk!
Supplies:
- Pressed leaves
- Wax paper
- Iron (if you don’t have one, you can glue the leaves instead)
- Cardstock/ construction paper
- Tape
- Stapler
- Scissors
- Parchment paper
- Battery operated tea light
- Small towel
Steps:
Fold wax paper in half. Make sure you do this hamburger style, not hot dog style, or your lantern will be too tall and skinny.
Place leaves on one half of the paper. Leave a decent amount of space around the leaves for the wax paper to adhere. We didn’t leave a lot and it was tricky for it to stick together!
Fold wax paper on top of leaves.
Put your wax paper on top of the towel (this is to protect your table if you’re using an iron). Put parchment paper on top of the wax paper and put the iron on the high setting. Slowly move it over the paper until the wax paper adheres. The parchment paper will stop the wax from melting onto the iron. Parchment paper is better than a towel on top of the wax paper because it’s thin so the wax paper sticks together easily.
Cut a small strip of cardstock and tape it along the top of the wax paper. You may need to cut 2 pieces if it isn’t long enough to go all the way across.
For the bottom, you’re going to tape a piece across the bottom of the wax paper again but it needs to be wider so you can fold it in on itself. You can cut the wider piece of cardstock about the width of the base of the lantern. You will have to trim the excess as needed if it’s too long to fold over.
Tape the cardstock along the bottom of the lantern like in the previous step. Cut lines on the paper up to where it meets the wax paper. Staple or tape the roll together.
Fold the paper inwards so all the pieces meet in the middle and tape together from the inside and bottom.
Cut a thin piece of cardstock for a handle and staple it to the top.
Place a light inside and you’re done!
Lantern walks
Many different cultures celebrate autumn with lantern walks where the community will walk outside with lanterns to symbolize bringing light into the darkness. This helps us reflect on how we treat others by bringing light and kindness, no matter how small, into our homes and the community.
I enjoy the idea of celebrating Martinmas because my son really notices how dark it gets outside after the time change. Since he goes to bed at 7, he usually doesn’t see it get very dark outside until autumn comes around. Darkness, light, and shadows are a whole new thing we can explore now. With the new baby here, we celebrated Martinmas late, but since it’s still autumn and it’s gets dark early outside, I see celebrating Martinmas as something I can do during this time of year, even if it isn’t exactly on November 11th, as a general celebration of the season and bringing kindness into the world.
How to do a lantern walk
After making your lantern, you can gather friends and/or family with their lanterns and go for a stroll outside with your lights! I haven’t done one with others, but I’m sure it looks beautiful at night.
Since it gets really cold outside this time of year, you can also choose to do your lantern walk in your house or in your yard, especially if you have really little ones. You can turn off the lights in your house and walk around and say “We carry our little light, just like Martin shared his warmth.” End the walk by placing the lantern somewhere special like your nature table or windowsill!
For an extension, you can invite your child to think of one kind thing they can do that day (or the next day, during this time of year, etc). For young children, you can offer choices: give a hug, share a toy, or help with a small task. Each kind act is “adding light” to your home!
Lantern walk songs
If you’d like a song to sing during your lantern walk, or while you’re making your lanterns, here are some ideas:
(Tune: a gentle walking-beat, like “Twinkle Twinkle.”)
“My little lantern, shining bright,
Carrying kindness through the night.
Warm and gentle, soft and light,
Helping others through the night.
My little lantern, shining bright,
I share my love with all I might.”
Shorter version for tiny ones:
“Lantern, lantern, shining bright,
Bring your little, gentle light.”
Key Takeaways
Once autumn comes and it gets darker earlier, you and your children can create a lantern made out of leaves. This is a great activity to do with all of the changing and falling leaves! After creating the lantern, you can do a lantern walk outside or in your home. Carrying a light in the darkness is an annual tradition that can be a great reminder for children to be kind to others, even in small ways.
Making a leaf lantern can be an activity in itself or you can pair it with the story of Martinmas which is on November 11th. Martinmas is a story about a man named Martin who shared half of his cloak with a cold beggar which represents the kindness that we can all share with others, especially during this time of year where it is dark and cold as the seasons change.
The Waldessori Mom 
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