There are many holidays coming up in December, a little something for everyone and I have one more you can easily add to your list.
On the evening of December 5 children in Europe and the north and eastern side of France leave their shoes out at night hoping to wake up and find some sweets and treats waiting for them. Saint Nicholas day begins the holiday season in Europe, much like our day after Thanksgiving in the US.
Saint Nicholas was an actual person and the basis for the modern day Santa Claus who was born on March 15, 270 in Lycia, Turkey today. The 3rd century saint was devoted to the church from a very early age and lived a life of selfless giving. When his parents died he gave all the money they had away helping those that had nothing.
Not a lot is known of his life and his many deeds are of course disputed as most stories are from so long ago but they are all wonderful tales of the man that would become the most beloved by children for centuries.
Nicholas learned of a man that had three daughters but had lost all of his money. Without a dowry they were destined to a life of prostitution. To keep his identity secret and to not embarrass the father Nicholas walked by in the dark of night and dropped a small bag of gold coins in their open window. The oldest daughter was married shortly after when she had the much needed dowry.
Nicholas returned another night and did the same thing again. Now the second daughter was able to marry. The father wanted to find out who this generous person was and stayed up all night long and as the bag was dropped he discovered it was Nicholas. He thanked him profusely and promised to keep it a secret.
However, the most famous of all stories is a slightly gruesome one, but with a happy ending. Three boys were lost in the woods and after days without food they wandered into the door of a butcher. He promised to give them food if they came in, but had a dastardly plan in mind. Killing the three boys he stuffed them into a barrel of salt and planned to sell them off as pork later. Nicholas found out and arrived in time to revive the boys and save them.
That butcher is known now as Père Foutteard and was forced to spend eternity with Saint Nicholas and see him bring treats to all the children. He is often seen in art holding switches and lumps of coals for the bad kids. Sounds much worse than the threat of the Elf on the Shelf to me.
Nicholas died on December 6, 343 and his feast is celebrated each year. Today he is the patron saint of children and prostitutes, which is very fitting from the legend of his life. In medieval times nuns would leave baskets of food at the homes of the needy continuing his generous gifts. Today you will find children leaving their shoes to wake up to find an orange and some chocolate coins and treats. I wonder if Saint Nicholas would also bring some new shoes?
Saint Nicholas of course morphed into Father Christmas in England and Santa Claus in the US, however all derived from the kind man that delivered gifts to those that really needed them. Come this Sunday night, start a new little tradition and leave your shoes out, after all we could all use a nice little treat these days.
