St.

Nicholas
TOM ÁŠ
PEROUTKA
VIII. A
St. Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343),also known
as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of the ancient Greek maritime city
of Myra in Asia Minor (Ancient Greek: Μύρα, modern-day Demre, Turkey) during the
time of the Roman Empire. Because of the many miracles attributed to
his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. Saint Nicholas is
the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, prostitutes, children,
brewers, pawnbrokers, and students in various cities and countries around Europe.
St. Nicholas as a tradition in Czechia
The charming tradition of St. Nicholas falls on the eve of St. Nicholas Day, December
5th. If you find yourself walking the streets on that evening, you may run into a group
of strange characters: St. Nicholas (Mikuláš), the Angel (anděl) who represents the
Good, and the Devil (čert) representing the Evil. All wear costumes. Mikuláš looks a bit
like Santa Claus whose origin was supposedly inspired by St. Nicholas. All three
characters walk the streets, stopping children and asking them if they were good in
the past year. Most kids say yes and sing a song or recite a short poem. They are then
rewarded with sweets, candy or other treats, which are handed out by the Angel. Bad
kids would be put in the Devil's sack and taken to hell, or would only get a sack of
potatoes or coal instead of candy - of course it does not really happen!
St. Nicholas as a tradition in other
countries.
Mostly only eastern European countries and Balkans celebrate this tradition but it is also
celebrated in Netherlands , Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
In these countries it is celebrated like this:
In the Netherlands the primary occasion for gift-giving is 5 December, when his feast day is
celebrated. In Belgium they celebrate Sinterklaas on the morning of the 6 December.
In the days leading up to 5 or 6 December (starting when Saint Nicholas has arrived by
steamboat around mid-November), young children put their shoes in front of the chimneys
and sing Sinterklaas songs. Often they put a carrot or some hay in their shoes, as a gift to
St. Nicholas' horse. In recent years the horse has been named Schimmel or Amerigo in the
Netherlands and Slecht Weer Vandaag (bad weather today) in Flanders.
And that's it
Thanks for reading.

Hope to see you soon.

:)
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas