Saint Nicholas' Eve

In a few days it's again St. Nicholas Day (6 December). This means that the night before many Dutch (and presumably also in other countries) people will be celebrating his 'birthday' by giving gifts to each other.

The 'Real' Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra (in Asia Minor) has supposedly lived between roughly 270 and 345/352 AD. During his lifetime, he is supposed to have attended the First Council of Nicaea (325). Very few other things about him are known for certain, and currently his existence has been denied by the Catholic Church and his celebration deleted from the official calendar of Saints. Nonetheless, St. Nicholas has been popular throughout the ages in many regions, being for example the patron saint of Russia, sailors and children. His bones this day can be found and revered in the south-Italian city of Bari, to which Italian sailors brought it in 1087 after stealing his remains from a church under Turkish control. (Turkey nowadays claims these relics as cultural heritage).

St. Nicholas and children

Most likely, in this day and age St. Nicholas is best remembered as the patron saint of children and, consequently, as giver of gifts. The reason for this are a few legend concerning aiding children in trouble. Most famous of these is the legend of an innkeeper who during a famine was desperately short of food. One day, three desperate children came begging at his door. Pretending to be kind, the innkeeper promised them warmth and food and let them in. However, instead of feeding them, he chopped them into little bits, pickled them and put their remains into a barrel to sell as meat. When this all had transpired, bishop Nicholas came in. The innkeeper asked them if he wanted to eat something, but the bishop noticed something was wrong. He went to the barrle with pickled bits and put his hand in the barrel and pull out the three children whole and alive. It was a miracle!

The innkeeper was of course duly punished.

However the doubtfullness of stories like this, it's the kind of thing that earns you a certain reputation. So St. Nicholas became the patron sait of children and so it later became usual to give gifts to children on his feast day.

St. Nicholas in the Netherlands

Although St. Nicholas is popular in many countries, his feast is likely most widespread in the Netherlands, where he is better known as Sinterklaas (which is a contraction of Sint Nikolaas). In the Netherlands it is said St. Nicholas is immortal, lives in Spain (probably due to sailors from Spain) and comes each year to the Netherlands in order to celebrate his birthday. He does this, not by recieving gifts himself, but by giving gifts, mainly to children. Most children until about the age of 7 or 8 almost religiously believe in his existence (like the belief in Santa Claus, about whom more later). His arrival each year is shown on Dutch television.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rklaas2005.jpg
The arrival of Sinterklaas shown on Dutch television

Through the ages and through Dutch history and folklore (St. Nicholas' main source of popularity must have started because of his role as patron saint of Amsterdam) his appearance has changed. Although he still looks like a traditional bishop (wearing a red tabard and mitre) with a huge white beard, he now also rides a white horse (Most likely coming from an older Germanic feast of Wodan/Woden, who used to ride the sky on his huge, 6-legged white horse), arrives by steamship (due to the renewing of his feast in the 19th century) and has many black servants called Black Pete (Zwarte Piet). These servants, who most likely are either based on the Moors of Spain or black slaves from Africa, nowadays form the centre of some controversy. Some find the connection with slaves offensive and racist. However, most modern explanations of Pete's blackness say he's black from climbing through chimneys. (Whatever is best, I don't know, it is, however, only tradition). On the night before his 'birthday' (which originally used to be the celebration of his death and rebirth in heaven), Saint Nicholas and his Black Petes travel across the rooftops to deliver gifts and candy to nice children (a record of who's been nice and who hasn't can be found in his big book). They started to do this on a smaller scale, however, after the very day they arrived by putting little gifts into children's shoes (which are set by the fireplace, central heating or the front door, usually accompanied by gifts for the Saint's horse).

Although most children eventually are told Sinterklaas doesn't exist, the celebration of his feast usually continues during later childhood and is also celebrated by adults by giving presents to each other.

Saint Nicholas elsewhere

Saint Nicholas' feast is also celebrated in many other countries, like Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. Most renowned, however, is his incarnation as the American Santa Claus. Although Santa Claus looks different, his attire is still predominantly red and he still has a large white beard, as you know. His name also literally was taken from Dutch settlers in the USA (Sinterklaas > Santa Claus). Most likely his feast was more secularised to become popular amongst non-catholics as well (although most of the Netherlands retain a protestant tradition, his popularity has rarely been fought there after the 17th century).

So this thread is in dedication to a great (and fun) feast.

Thank you for your attention. :bow: