Mardipäev, also known as Martinmas or St. Martin’s Day, is an Estonian folk calendar holiday celebrated on November 10. The holiday involves dressing up as monstrous beggars and showing up at people’s doorsteps, singing, dancing, and flogging the host. Mardipäev is considered an ancient new year’s holiday, as all agricultural work had to be completed by this time. It also coincides with St. Martin’s Day, which is celebrated in other countries.
The mardipäev ritual has a rigid structure, with mardisandids singing specific runic verse songs and blessing the household for the coming year. They scatter grains on the floor, test the inhabitants’ skills, and flog the host family, wishing everyone good health. Gifts are requested from the family, and the mardisandids often have a party with the collected bounty. If a household refuses to let them in, they sing a curse song outside the door.
Mardipäev was traditionally a male-centered holiday dedicated to agricultural good fortune, while its counterpart for women was kadripäev, celebrated a few weeks later on November 25. Traditional food for Mardipäev is a roast goose, with other food-related traditions including pig’s heads, baking bread, eating cabbage, and sausages. Mardisandid has evolved into an entertainment for the young, with costumes becoming more varied and predominantly children.
