St. Nicholas Day

Chapter 12

Greetings, readers! Today, I’m here to enlighten you all about St. Nicholas Day, a traditional Christian holiday. Come join me as I walk you through the history behind it!

Firstly, St. Nicholas Day is recognised on December 6th, and celebrates the life of Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century bishop known widely for his generosity. Some countries celebrate St. Nicholas Day on its eve, which is December 5th.

So, who was St. Nicholas? Well, he was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara in Anatolia during the time of the Roman Empire. Many during his time also called him Nicholas the Wonderworker, as he was recognised for his reputation of charity and gift-giving.

St. Nicholas was widely forgotten in most of Europe after the Reformation, but his tradition survived in Holland as “Sinterklaas.” Sinterklaas was known to arrive on horseback on feast day, wearing a red robe to distribute sweets and gifts to good children, and coal or twigs to bad ones.

The Dutch then took this tradition to New Amsterdam (now known as New York City) as well as other American colonies, where he was transformed into Santa Claus by the English-speaking majority. His legend of a kind, selfless man was combined with Nordic folktales of a magician who rewarded good kids, and punished naughty ones.

The image of Santa Claus only grew from then on, and was finalised in the United States during the 19th century. In Britain, he was replaced as Father Christmas. After that time, he became a patron to the gift-giving festival of Christmas, and was no longer associated with December 6th.

Now, let’s discuss some of the customs traditional to St. Nicholas Day!

1. Leaving Out Shoes: Kids often leave their shoes out on the night of December 5th, in hopes that St. Nicholas will fill them with small gifts!
2. Gift Giving: Children would receive presents such as special cookies, candles or chocolate coins in their stockings or shoes. 
3. Writing Letters: In many places, children will write letters to St. Nicholas, as well as leave treats such as carrots or grass for his horse.

Clearly, the holiday has many similarities with Christmas. We all know Santa Claus, but it’s been quite interesting to learn about the real St. Nicholas behind that image—the one known as the bishop of Myra. Thank you for reading. Goodbye!

Written by Daphne Clarke. 
Edited by Autumn Edelstein. 
Proofread by Daphne Clarke.