Veneration of Nicholasolas

December 6^th is the traditional Day of St. Nicholas.  You know, where you leave your shoes out and in the morning your sister’s is full of chocolate and you have a nice collection of sticks and coal.  Err, just hypothetical of course.

Saint Nicholas was Bishop of the Greek town of Myra, in Anatolia, Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.  He was reputed to have great holiness, and his Episcopal See was said to be the only diocese which was not tainted by the heresy of Arianism.

Nicholas inherited wealth from his family, and was known for his charity.  The most famous legend has the Saint saving three dowry-less girls from lives of prostitution by furtively throwing sacks of gold into their house.  One version of the story has Nicholas throwing a bag of gold down the chimney, where it fell into one of the girl's stockings, drying over the embers.  This is not only the origin of the Christmas custom, but these three bags of gold inspired the pawnbroker's symbol.

Nicholas was one of the earliest Saints who was not a martyr, and his veneration quickly spread to all parts of Christendom. Some claim that artistic depictions of this Saint are second only to the Virgin Mary, and that at least 2000 churches were built in his honor in Mediaeval France and Germany, and 400 more in England.

After the Seljuk invasion of Myra, Nicholas' relics were taken to Bari, Italy, where they remain. The Saint's crypt is in a basilica under the protection of the Dominican Order; and an Orthodox chapel is built on one side of the crypt.  The “Manna of Saint Nicholas” is a liquid that oozes from the relics; roughly 50 milliliters of this liquid is collected annually, where it is diluted and distributed worldwide, where it is used as an ointment and for the blessing of ships and the seas. (TMI!)

Of course, in my village, Nicholas had a much more malevolent presence.

The terrorism began towards dusk.  The ringing of bells told the tale of the invasion about to begin; the Bishop was in town and he brought his Krampus with him!

Yes, “jolly” old Saint Nick was going door to door throughout the village.  He carried a large book filled with the delightful things all sisters had done throughout the year and of course, the transgressions of the boys.  To the girls, he gave candy.  To the boys, well, he turned us over to the Krampus for a swift and sure beating.

Yeah, aren’t European customs fun?