How you too can celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. How big are your shoes?
There is something magical about going to sleep and waking up to a surprise. In many countries around the world, children will put out a shoe tonight and will wake up tomorrow to candy and maybe a small gift.
You may know all about Santa, but did you know that St. Nicholas was a real person? He lived in the 4th century, was a bishop (red clothes), and is said to have left bags of gold for young women with no dowries. Known for his kindness and generosity, he is the patron saint of children, sailors, repentant thieves, brewers, and students.
I used to celebrate this holiday every year with my students. We would learn about the traditions in France. At the end of class, they would all put their heads down and wouldn’t you know it? When the lights came back on, St. Nicholas had visited and left some candy and a bookmark or some stickers.
Here is how people celebrate in France, mainly in the Alsace and Lorraine regions. At this time of year, you can find St. Nicholas everywhere, on gingerbread, in the form of chocolates, and he may even make an appearance with his donkey at school to distribute candy to the children. Many towns have parades for St. Nicholas and he walks alongside his donkey and with Père Fouettard. St. Nicholas rewards good children and Père Fouettard punishes the naughty ones! (Yikes!)
If you have kids, you might tell them about St. Nicholas and have them leave out a shoe- make sure to put something in it. If you don’t have kids, you can still surprise a loved one or a neighbor with a small gift- maybe their favorite chocolate or coffee. Even though I’m not in a classroom anymore, I help St. Nicolas visit people in my life….but only if they are very good. 🙂
