If you're visiting Prague in November, St. Martin's Day is just one more holiday to add to your program.
Every November 11, Czechs celebrate St. Martin (or Martin of Tours, Roman Catholic saint and 4th-century bishop of Tours) and drink new wine (St. Martin is the patron saint of winegrowers).
In recent years, the celebrations have become more numerous and festive, thanks to a real effort on the part of the wine-growing guild. In all, over two and a half million bottles are marketed by more than 70 approved producers. It's a bit like the Czech "Beaujolais", with a new wine that's light, dry, fresh, fruity and low in alcohol (10-12%). You'll find it mainly in white, but also in red and rosé.
On the program: discover Czech wines and taste roast goose!
In Prague, as elsewhere (especially in Moravia, a major wine-growing region), you'll have the chance to discover Czech wines and taste delicious roast goose (see list of restaurants below). Don't miss this age-old tradition. Uncorking begins at 11.11 a.m. on November 11!
St. Martin's Day is said to originate in France
The tradition of Saint-Martin dates back to the 14th century. It coincides with the end of the harvest and the start of a period of less strenuous work. It's also a time of abundance, with the slaughter of animals (including geese) to be stored for the winter.
As for St. Martin's wine, the tradition dates back to the 18th century, during the reign of Emperor Joseph II, when the owner visited the winegrowers on November 11th to taste the production and decide whether the contract would be renewed. It was also the day to start selling the wine produced.
A proverb and two legends for a festival that has become fashionable
A Czech proverb says that if "Saint-Martin arrives on his white horse", snow will appear as early as mid-November in the Czech Republic (thanks to global warming, this is less and less true in Prague!) If Saint-Martin arrives under a cloudy sky, winter will be mild, if Saint-Martin arrives on a clear day, winter will be harsh, and if he arrives in the fog, winter will be changeable.
It is also said that Saint-Martin, a very good man and simple Roman soldier born in what is now Hungary, shared his coat at the gates of Amiens during a snowstorm as he prepared to be baptized. He gave half his military cloak to a beggar suffering from the cold. The following night, he had a vision of Jesus Christ, surrounded by angels and clothed in half the cloak, and the next morning, his cloak was intact! Following this experience, he was baptized, left the army and became a monk, then a Roman Catholic saint and bishop of Tours (316-397). He also became the patron saint of the poor.
Other legends are often cited in the Czech Republic. The first is that the very humble Saint-Martin hid in the neck of a goose to escape his worshippers and avoid being ordained bishop in Tours in 371. The second says that Saint-Martin's sermon was constantly disrupted by a goose, which was eventually eaten. Another says that, still afraid of being named bishop of Tours, he hid in a barn, but was discovered by the cackling of the geese… He was buried on November 11, three days after his death on November 8, 397, and goose is eaten not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Germany and Sweden.
The St. Martin's Day menu is unchanging
A delicious roast goose is served with red cabbage and potato dumplings (or lokše, which I love, Slovak potato pancakes). I recommend that you try it, as Czech cooks know perfectly how to prepare duck (very present in Czech gastronomy) and goose. It's what they cook best! Hearty and tasty!
Delicious roast goose with cabbage and seasonal apples
Goose soup (kaldoun) is also sometimes available.
To accompany your dish, you'll discover vin nouveau de la Saint-Martin. If you bring back a bottle as a souvenir, it's best to drink it before spring, and it lends itself well to aperitifs. Authorized grape varieties include Müller Thurgau, Roter Veltliner, Muscat Morave, Blauer Portugieser, Saint-Laurent and Zweigelt.
Where to celebrate St. Martin's Day in Prague?
In a restaurant
Around November 11, you'll find the St. Martin's Day menu in Prague's many traditional Czech restaurants, or in one of Prague's fantastic brasseries (remember to book early). On the menu, look out for "Pečená Husa" (roast goose) or "Svatomartinské Pečená Husa" (St. Martin's Day roast goose). The liver is also eaten in pâté and in the traditional soup mentioned above. Among the restaurants usually offering a special St. Martin's menu (sometimes for an entire week): OSSEGG, the many restaurants of the famous Lokál chain of the Ambiente group that also owns Kantýna, Čestr, U Kalendů (more atypical menu), Kuchyň (goose on the menu until Advent) or Café Savoy, Hostinec Šohajka, Café Imperial (and belonging to the same Next Door group nearby), Monkey Bar (of the super hotel Falkensteiner), Červený Jelen, The Twisted fig (The Hotel Fitzgerald), Meat Beer (in the same building as the super MeetMe23 hotel praised by all my visiting friends), Alcron (sophisticated menu and very good hotel here too), CJ26, U tří prasátek, Výčep, U Matěje, Mlýnec, Augustine Restaurant, Pivovarský dům Benedict, V Zátiší, Malostranská beseda in Malá Strana, Restaurace U Šumavy right in the center, The Farm Letná, the flexitarian Spojka Karlin… In short, goose will be on the menu almost everywhere! Make your choice!
On Charles Bridge, in the Castle vineyards, in Troja, at the National Agricultural Museum…
A procession is also organized on the Charles Bridge. On November 11 at precisely 11:11 a.m., St. Martin crosses the bridge on his white horse (often with short theatrical sketches dedicated to the first non-martyr saint, a medieval market in Place Křížovnické, free admission to the Charles Bridge Museum…)
In the upper part of the Castle vineyards (the oldest vineyard in the country), the Villa Richter with its extraordinary view (accessible via the old Castle stairs) organizes a small festival and tastings with numerous wineries presenting their wines.
The Prague Botanical Garden in Troja also offers an annual tasting of young wine from the St. Clare vineyards. The National Agricultural Museum in Letná also organizes celebrations.
At the market
You can also visit the market on November 11. In some places, at precisely 11:11 a.m., a toast will be made to the arrival of St. Martin on his white horse. I recommend the busy and festive Náplavka market (between Palackého náměstí and the railway bridge) on the banks of the Vltava. The festival is held on November 11 from morning to night, or on the Saturday before (if November 11 falls on a weekday). You'll find dozens of stalls, wine merchants showcasing new wines from Bohemia and Moravia, and a fast-food restaurant dedicated to goose (roasted, stewed, in soup, pâté, burger, quiche or sandwich, accompanied by quenelles or lokše, the Slovak pancakes I've already mentioned and which I'm crazy about). And don't forget the musical entertainment! There's also the quieter market on Place Jiřího z Poděbrad in Prague 3, open from Wednesday to Saturday.
In Vyšehrad
To be sure of seeing Saint-Martin and his horse, head for Vyšehrad at 3pm on November 11, near the Saint-Martin rotunda. You'll be treated to an enchanting lantern parade in one of Praguers' favorite spots. Lanterns made by children, who will then join in the procession and sing songs.