Thursday, December 4, 2008

Saint Nicolas Day

I promised to write about French holidays, so I am going to include St Nicolas day. It is only celebrated in the North-Eastern parts of France, around Lille and Strasbourg, but is observed in many other European countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary,…). First, an explanation of saint days.

Most French would not consider themselves religious. The downfall of Catholicism in France began with the French Revolution, which led to a separation of church and state. Many of the holidays currently observed have religious origins, but the original purpose is long forgotten. Most of the once religious holidays are now a reason to get together as a family and eat.

One religious practice that does persist to this day is the recognition of saint days. Every day of the calendar year has a saint or sainte associated with it. Until the early 1970’s, all children born in France had to be given one of these names. Today the naming rules are not so strict, but the French still recognize the saint of the day. For example, today is Sainte Barbara day, which means it is the ‘fĂȘte’ of all women named Barbara. This is in contrast to one’s birthday, which is called an ‘anniversaire’. On your saint day, people wish you a ‘bonne fĂȘte’, and you will receive a cake and small presents.

December 6 is St Nicolas day. He is the guy that inspired the creation of our Santa Claus. On Dec 6, he arrives to give children small gifts, often of fruit and candy. In Amsterdam, he arrives via boat and children wait at the port for his arrival. He asks the kids if they have been good, and then proceeds to give them treats. The method of St Nicolas’ arrival varies by country, but regardless of location, the day is finished off with a big family supper. The countries that celebrate St Nicolas day also celebrate Christmas, but no mysterious man arrives to deliver presents to children on this day. Any gifts that kids receive on Christmas are from family.

1 comment:

Dorothy Schultz said...

Wow that sucks for the little ones...no giant Santa gifts!! I think that the old guy is going to back a tractor trailer up to our chimney this year....