Today, December 6, Catholics, Orthodox and some other Christians celebrate the memory of the fourth-century bishop Nicholas of Myra (now a part of Turkey). He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of "Saint Nikolaos". His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints. It is easy to see how his feast, so close to Christmas, associated him with that feast.The Carmelite community I used to belong came to the United States over a hundred years ago from Germany, and among the traditions they brought along with them (as did the Germans who had already settled in Wisconsin) was the celebration of St. Nick's feast on December 6 with the giving of small treats. This year I am continuing the tradition by making candy for the staff at the library.
2 comments:
This is nice and clear article to know about "St.Nicholas Day".
I am always learning new things when I read your blog, Michael!!! It was my Daughters Birthday yesterday. If I had known about St Nicholas way back then, I probably would have named her Nichola instead of Julie!!!
However- I take heart in the fact that I got to name my eldest sons middle son Nicholas.....yep- I named him after St. Nick!! i TOLD yu I was a Christmas Fanatic!!! hahahaha!
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