The Carmel Christkindlmarkt mission is to conduct educational and cultural activities in Germanic culture through lectures, storytelling, discussions, musical performances, cultural presentations, and an annual Christkindlmarkt festival, and in this manner providing instruction to the public on subjects that are useful to individuals and beneficial to the community, with the activities to
be generally conducted by teachers, musicians, actors, and other knowledgeable and qualified individuals and open to the public and shall take place in the City of Carmel, Indiana.
St. Martin, also called a festival of light due the lanterns carried, is a traditional German holiday, which is celebrated by young families with their children during the week of November 11th. In Germany, during the month of November events are held by the city as well as private pre schools. Children create or receive lantern kits they put together and carry high throughout the procession that begins at dusk. During a traditional St. Martin’s procession the city works together with the departments, who coordinate a horse as well as a man representing St Martin dressed up as a roman soldier leading the procession. A marching band follows the rider, playing traditional St Martin and Christmas Songs. Families walk through the city, many times finishing at a large fire where children receive a Weckmann and sing a couple of more songs. Because this festival celebrates St Martins good deed of using his cape to cover a man freezing to death, there is also a short reenactment of this act of kindness for the children to witness directly at the end of the procession.