
Saint Nicholas is a legendary figure in
European folklore based on Greek early Christian and 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.
It is believed that Saint Nicholas arrives to celebrate his day,
December 6 (
December 19 according to the
Julian calendar), and leaves before
Christmas. This tradition is well known and celebrated in
Austria,
Croatia ( hr, Sveti Nikola), the
Czech Republic ( cz, Svatý Mikuláš),
Hungary ( hu, Mikulás),
Poland ( pl, Święty Mikołaj),
Romania ( ro, Moș Nicolae),
Slovakia ( sk, Svätý Mikuláš),
Slovenia ( sl, Sveti Miklavž),
Ukraine ( uk, Святий Миколай, ''Sviatyi Mykolai''),
the Netherlands ( nl, Sinterklaas),
Luxembourg, north-east
France, western
Germany, and
Belgium ( nl, Sinterklaas,french: Saint Nicolas).
Treats

In the Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and Ukraine, Saint Nicholas often comes with two assistants: a good
angel who gives out presents to good children and a
devil, who punishes bad children.
On Saint Nicholas Day, they come to the houses where small children live and give them some presents. While nice children receive various fruits, candies and toys, naughty children can expect nothing more than a wooden switch, several pieces of coal or carrot or potatoes left by a devil.
Treats are traditionally
sweets,
chocolate,
candy
Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English
Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...
and different
nuts. In modern times, chocolate Saint Nicholas figures are most common. In Austria, Hungary and Romania, to get the presents, the boots must be polished, because Saint Nicholas does not fill boots that are not shiny enough.
Although presents are usually given to children by parents, it is not uncommon for adults to place small surprises (such as presents or a bunch of twigs) into the boots of others.
Virgács
The virgács is a
switch resembling a small broom, made with twigs or branches from a bush or willow tree, often painted gold. They are sold on the streets in Hungary before Saint Nicholas Day.
Some information on Mikulas Bacsi
See also
* Christmas traditions
*Santa Claus
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
*Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
References
External links
Mikuláš in Prague
( Czech Republic). Saint Nicholas Day (Mikuláš) by www.myczechrepublic.com
{{Authority control
Saint Nicholas
Hungarian folklore
Slovak folklore
Slovenian folklore
Czech folklore
Ukrainian folklore
Christmas characters