Sint Maarten walkers advised to bring an umbrella and winter coat on Monday

Sint Maarten walkers should dress warmly on Monday and take umbrellas with them when they make their rounds collecting sweets in the evening. The weather service Weeronline is predicting rain and temperatures below 10 degrees on Monday evening.

On Monday, children go from door to door on Saturday evening with lanterns, hoping to get sweets or fruit by singing songs. They do this in honor of the Christian holiday of Sint Maarten, a day dedicated to sharing.

According to the Catholic story,Sint Maarten is a soldier who shares all his possessions and money with the poor. In the end, all he has left is his coat, a robe of rank. One cold evening, when he comes across a beggar whom all his comrades are passing by, he cuts his coat in half with a sword and gives one half to the beggar. According to the story, this beggar is supposed to be Jesus. The soldier, later bishop and saint, was buried in Tours, France, on November 11, 397.

The day will start with an average temperature between 11 and 13 degrees, and the wind could be strong, especially in the coastal provinces. In combination with short-lived showers, the wind will become somewhat cooler and a warm (winter) coat is not a luxury either.

According to Weeronline, Monday marks the turning point of the calm and mostly dry fall weather of the past period. The coldest temperature during Sint Maarten was in 2016, when the temperature in De Bilt was -2.7 degrees on November 11. The warmest was on Sint Maarten in 1971 with 14-15 degrees.