More than 50 parades in Bonn alone An overview of St Martin’s parades 2018 in Bonn
Bonn · In accordance with tradition, numerous St Martin’s parades will pass through Bonn again. Accompanied by many children with colourful lanterns, they are a wonderful spectacle.
From the start of November, more than 50 St Martin’s parades will pass through Bonn’s districts. There are even more in the region. Here’s the story behind them: more than 1600 years ago, a Roman soldier shared his coat with a beggar on a cold winter’s day and therefore saved him from dying. Since then, St Martin’s deed has stood for compassion and charity. “…and then St Martin divided his coat and gave half to the poor beggar.” Everyone knows this story. November 11 is not just the start of the fifth season (Carnival) but also St Martin’s Day.
Around 1300 children are expected at the large St Martin’s parade in Bonn city centre on Monday, 12 November. The parade starts at 5.15pm in the Münsterplatz and goes through Remegiusstraße, Acherstraße, Dreieck, Münsterplatz past the post office, Windeckstraße, Bottlerplatz, Vivatsgasse and Sternstraße to the Marktplatz, where the large St Martin’s bonfire will be lit.
The city says there will be no road closures for the St Martin’s parade. The market will close at around 2pm.
The city of Bonn has made available a map with all of the St Martin's parades in Bonn together with their routes. To find a parade in your area, click on the link “St Martinszüge im “klassischen” Stadtplan” and search for your area in the drop down box labelled “Stadtbezirke”. There is also a St Martin's songsheet with the lyrics to the most popular songs. You can also use your smartphone to search for St Martin’s parades using the mobile city plan from the city of Bonn’s Office for Land Management and Geological Information.
(Original text: ga.de, kc. Translation: kc)
