St. Nicholas Day
by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor Spirited Table®
Saint Nicholas Day, also called the Feast of Saint Nicholas, observed on 5 December or on 6 December in Western Christian countries, and on 19 December in Eastern Christian countries using the old church Calendar, is the feast day of Saint Nicholas of Myra; it falls within the season of Advent. Wikipedia ++
On December 6th, Saint Nicholas Day recognizes the third-century saint who became an inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus. St. Nicholas is known for selling all his possessions and giving his money to the poor.
During the early 1800s, European immigrants brought the stories and rituals of St. Nicholas Day to the United States. ... Nicholas (Sinterklaas in Dutch) evolved into the secular Santa Claus, and the day of gift giving moved to Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. For more details o St. Nicholas Day, read below…
We all know the opening lines to "A Visit from St. Nicholas."
"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there."
So from that popular 19th-century poem we know that St. Nicholas comes on Christmas Eve, right?
Why, then, do we celebrate St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6, and why does St. Nick typically leave gifts in shoes, not stockings like Santa Claus does?
As best I can tell, the confusion arose as European history and tradition got twisted with American storytelling and commercialism. Let's try to unravel the mystery.
St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas Day is celebrated in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra, a Christian bishop who lived during the time of the Roman Empire and became known for his generosity for helping people in need. Dec. 6 is the anniversary of his death in the fourth century.
According to the website St. Nicholas Center, one story of St. Nicholas' gift giving tells of how he helped a poor man with three daughters. They were without dowries and were destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold was tossed into the home to provide the dowry, the story goes. The gold came through an open window and is said to have landed in stockings or shoes left by the fire to dry.
"This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas," the website says. "Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas."
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In Western European countries, St. Nicholas appears as a bishop with a white beard, cassock, miter and crozier. Petra Reker, a friend of mine in Germany, describes the scene when an impersonator of St. Nicholas (Sankt Nikolaus in German) arrives on St. Nicholas Eve.
"He brings along a huge bag with presents but also a big book, in which are written down all malignities of the children throughout the past year," Reker said. "St. Nikolaus reads (aloud) and admonishes the children to improve their behavior in the following year. This is very frightening for most children. Some children perform a nice poem. Then St. Nikolaus becomes friendly and distributes the presents."
Reker said St. Nicholas sometimes can be accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, a servant who gives naughty children lumps of coal, sticks or stones.
If a St. Nicholas impersonator doesn't come to a home, the children set their winter boots in front of the door. St. Nicholas arrives during the night and fills the boots with small toys and leaves a plate of cookies, candies, nuts, apples and oranges.
St. Nicholas became the patron saint of children, and he often visits elementary schools in the days leading up to Dec. 6. In Luxembourg, the festival is so important that the education ministry cancels classes that day.
The St. Nicholas Center says Dec. 6 "is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe."