defestival1-7, Exercise 2: St Martin and the goose

Model answer (check the details):

The legend: Martin did not want to be made bishop of Tours and hid in a goose pen, but the noisy geese gave him away, so he was found and consecrated. The roast goose at Martinmas is said to be the geese's punishment.

Other explanations:
1. The farming year. 11 November was an old date for ending the farm year, paying rents and dues, and slaughtering livestock before winter. Geese were fattened by then, and were paid as dues or eaten at the end of a period of fasting (Martinmas was the start of a fast in some places). This is a practical explanation.
2. The start of an Advent-style fast. In the medieval church a fasting season began around this date in some regions, so a feast came beforehand (check).

Which is best supported: the farming-year explanation fits the economic records, such as dues paid in geese, and does not depend on one story. The legend is a later tale told to explain a custom that already existed, and is the weakest on evidence. Both are claims to check against the sources.

What it shows: a custom may attract several origin stories, and the colourful one is not usually the best supported.