Saint Nicholas (European folklore)

This article is about the gift-bearing figure in European folklore. For the fourth-century Christian saint, see Saint Nicholas. For other uses, see Saint Nicholas (disambiguation).
Saint Nicholas (Sviatyi Mykolai) opening his residence near the presidential office in Kyiv
Saint Nicholas (Svatý Mikuláš) with a devil (čert) in Prague

Saint Nicholas is a legendary figure in European folklore based on the Greek early Christian bishop Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of children.

On Saint Nicholas Day, children wait for Saint Nicholas to come and put a present under their pillow or in a boot on their windowsill, provided that the children were good during the year. Children who behaved badly may expect to find a twig or a piece of coal under their pillows. In the Netherlands (see Sinterklaas), Dutch children put out a shoe filled with hay and a carrot for Saint Nicholas' horse.[1][2]

It is believed that Saint Nicholas arrives to celebrate his day, December 6 (December 19 according to the Julian calendar) or November 11 in Belgium, and leaves before Christmas. This tradition is well known and celebrated in Austria, Belgium, Croatia (Croatian: Sveti Nikola), the Czech Republic (Czech: Svatý Mikuláš), north-east France (French: Saint Nicolas), western and southern Germany (German: Sankt Nikolaus), Hungary (Hungarian: Mikulás), Luxembourg, the Netherlands (Dutch: Sinterklaas), Poland (Polish: Święty Mikołaj), Romania (Romanian: Moș Nicolae), Serbia (Serbian: Свети Никола, Sveti Nikola), Slovakia (Slovak: Svätý Mikuláš), Slovenia (Slovene: Sveti Miklavž), and Ukraine (Ukrainian: Святий Миколай, Sviatyi Mykolai).

  1. ^ Peoples of Europe: Lithuania-Netherlands. Marshall Cavendish. 2002. p. 343. ISBN 9780761473848.
  2. ^ Saint Nicolas in Hungary Retrieved 31 May 2013