I saw this meme post on Facebook, people laughing at it. I did not get the joke. Any native speakers would like to enlighten me?

31 comments

  1. On Sankt Martin (November 11) kindergarten children and their parents meet up in the evening when it’s dark and do a sort of parade carrying their (handcrafted) lanterns. There are some popular songs to sing on the occasion which include the song Ich geh mit meiner Laterne (and meine Laterne mit mir).

  2. It is alluding to a well known chrildren‘s song which you sing when you walk on 11 Nov. with a (home made) lantern in the streets. As I guess every child in Germany has done that in preschool, that‘s how you know you are German. 🙂

  4. Just want to add to the other people that in many places you not only do it in pre-school but also in primary school and older children often participate as well.

    Often the children carrying their lanterns and singing songs follow a guy dressed as St. Martin and riding a white horse. These processions often end at parks or schools where a huge bonfire is lit. Where I live the children also get a sweet pastry to share.

    Afterwards, many children will go from house to house and sing songs in exchange for sweets (a bit similar to Halloween).

    So the songs are quite central in this tradition and there are like five songs that every child learns. This being one of them.

  6. Also note if anyone knows more than just the two beginning lines of the song he clearly isn’t German but a dangerous foreign spy that tries to assimilate but failed horribly. Beware.

  10. Anyone else got all their candies taken from them by older kids? Happened to us one year, wee cunts ran off with our bags >:(

  12. We just went with our Laterne and our Laterne went with us. Its not that difficult to understand

  14. In my home region, at least in my childhood, we celebrate “Martini” not just with those lanterns, but also with costuming up, going from home to home to sing and getting sweets in return. It is a bit like Halloween overall, but still distinct. Nowadays Halloween us also often celebrated, which is kinda weird when you’re used to Martini.

  15. It’s a song the kids sing when they walk with their lanterns on St. Martin’s day: “I walk with my lantern, and my lantern [walks] with me” (“Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne, und meine Laterne mit mir”)

    Not that funny imo.

  17. *Ich geh mit meiner Laterne,*

    *Und meine Laterne mit mir*

    *Da vorne ist sich schon die Taverne,*

    *Da Tausch ich das Ding gegen Bier*

  19. When I did this as a kid in the 80s in Germany we still used candles, and there’d always be at least one mouth-breather that would knock theirs over and set their lantern on fire. When my own kids went through this phase I discovered they now just use plastic sticks with dangling bulbs that you can pick up at any baumarkt. You can even buy pre-built fire-resistant lanterns if you’re really lazy (or just want to silently judge other parents).

  21. Its an adorable song for saint martins day. Children will parade with their lanterns and sing and then pretty much go trick or treating.

  26. Dieser schreckliche Moment wenn es spätabends an der Tür klingelt, man auf macht und eine Horde Kinder davor steht… Und man realisiert, dass man nichts, aber auch gar nichts im Haus hat was man ihnen geben könnte

  27. It’s the first words to a children’s song

    “Ich geh mit meiner Laterne
    Und meine Laterne mit mir
    Dort oben leuchten die Sterne
    Und unten da leuchten wir

    Mein Licht ist aus
    Ich geh nach Haus
    Rabimmel, rabammel, rabum!“

  29. Ich gehe mit meiner Laterne
    und die Laterne mit mir.

    Da vorne ist eine Taverne
    da tausch ich das Ding gegen Bier.

  30. Ich geh mit meiner Laterne und meine Laterne mit mir
    Da vorn ist eine Taverne da tausche ich das Ding gegen Bier

  31. For many it’s St. Martin’s, I’m from the (largely Protestant, so no Saints) north and just knew it as Laternenlauf. Might be different for others, but that’s how I remember it, there was no talk of coats and white horses.

Leave a Reply