St. Nicholas Day

(From Kids InfoBits, a Gale online resource)

Many countries celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6. This holiday honors the kindness and generous giving of a saint named Nicholas, who lived long ago.

About St. Nicholas
Nicholas was born in AD 270 in Turkey to rich parents. They died when he was young. Nicholas followed the Bible's teachings and gave away the money they left him. He was well known for helping people in need. Many stories are told about him, but it is not certain they are all true.

People say that Nicholas saved the life of a sailor who fell from a ship and that he calmed a storm at sea. He also helped three girls whose father was poor. The girls could not marry, because their father had no money for their dowries (money a bride's family gives to the groom's family). Nicholas threw three bags of gold through their window, so the girls could get married. Another legend says he raised three boys from the dead when a butcher put them in barrel to pickle them and sell them as meat.

Nicholas's good deeds did not end with his death. One story says that during a famine, people went to pray at his tomb. The next day, five ships arrived carrying grain. The bakers used the grain to make bread for everyone. They called the loaves of bread "St. Nicholas loaves."

History Of The Holiday
Many other stories were told about Nicholas after his death on December 6. These were the start of St. Nicholas Day. In Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, parents told their children that St. Nicholas flew over houses on a white horse with eight hooves. He peered down chimneys to see if children were being good or bad.

St. Nicholas also had a helper. This man had many different names, such as Krampus, Knecht Ruprecht, and Black Peter. Nicholas's helper carried a whip and sticks to punish bad children.

Celebration Of The Holiday
Many traditions are associated with St. Nicholas Day. In most places, this day is more important for giving gifts than Christmas Day. Children put out their shoes on the evening of December 5. Some fill their shoes with hay for St. Nicholas's horse.

When the children wake on St. Nicholas Day, they find the hay gone and their shoes filled with small treats like apples, nuts, cookies, and candy. Gifts from St. Nicholas are supposed to be shared. Just as St. Nicholas was kind and generous, so should children who receive gifts be willing to share.