Everything needed for a pleasant evening was there: pastries, French sweets, pizza, and tea. And of course, good company. The evening was so enjoyable that some people even went out together after the event ended.
The French volunteer working at the Support Service prepared a presentation for the semester opening, related to the Saint Martin’s Day program in November. The presentation focused on buildings in Tours connected to Saint Martin. Éva is from Tours, so when she is home, she walks past these buildings and places every day. During her Christmas visit home, she even took a special tour with the specific aim of presenting these locations to us as authentically as possible.
Saint Martin was the Bishop of Tours from 371 until his death in 397. Because of this, many sites in the city preserve his memory, such as La Basilique Saint-Martin de Tours, where his tomb is located. We also learned how the French celebrate Saint Martin’s Day. There are traditions that exist both in Hungary and in France, such as the lantern procession, which in Hungary is typically done by schoolchildren. It was interesting for us to learn that while we eat bread with lard, in France, the focus is more on sweets and pastries.
Overall, I think this was a great start to a new semester.