I’ve always known that Mortensaften was a thing, but I’ve never really known exactly what we were celebrating, how people celebrated it, or who this Morten was. So this year, I finally looked it up.
For anyone else who’s been equally clueless, Mortensaften is on the 10th of November, the evening before St Martin’s Day. The Morten in the name refers to Martin of Tours, also known in Danish as Morten Bisp.
According to legend, he didn’t want to become a bishop, so he hid among some geese. They made such a racket that they gave away his hiding place. Which does make you question his choice of hiding spot.
That story is behind the tradition of eating goose on Mortensaften, although duck is more common in Denmark these days. Usually with potatoes, red cabbage and gravy — a dinner that sounds suspiciously like a little Christmas rehearsal.
So there we are. A day I’ve seen on the calendar for years, and I’ve only just bothered to find out why it’s there. At least now I know it involves dinner and some very unhelpful geese.
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