While I grew up Catholic, I didn't know that people celebrated Martinmas and hadn't experienced a lantern walk. I only learned about it when a German friend gathered a small group of friends and suggested we do a lantern walk. We did, and it was lots of fun. Over the years I learned more about Martinmas as a Waldorf festival and have been fortunate to attend and host many lantern walks. When I began working with nursery age children I began using small mason jars to create these little lanterns for smaller hands, rather than the larger ones I had used with the kindergarten and early grades children. We've always used real candles, even with the littles. Children have so few opportunities to experience fire, carry real fire in their little lanterns, that this is a special treat and responsibility at this time of year. I'm not sure what is more fun, the preparation of the lanterns, the streaming light in the dark woods at night or the pot luck afterwards, it's all quite lovely. 
