St. Nicholas day, my fellow Europeans

I thought this was a Holland only day?

"In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrived on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds. December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands St. Nicholas' Day is celebrated with the sharing of candies (thrown in the door), chocolate initial letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts. Simple gift-giving in early Advent helps preserve a Christmas Day focus on the Christ Child."

Hmm well that part is Holland only (belgium sucks).
 
very neat, I don't recall having heard any of those st. nick stories before

I guess I'll have to buy myself a present today in celebration of the holiday.
 
Chromatose said:
very neat, I don't recall having heard any of those st. nick stories before

I guess I'll have to buy myself a present today in celebration of the holiday.




Here's a chocolate letter for you then!
chocoladeletter-hazelnoot-6.jpg
 
Corsnor said:
I thought this was a Holland only day?

"In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrived on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds. December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands St. Nicholas' Day is celebrated with the sharing of candies (thrown in the door), chocolate initial letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts. Simple gift-giving in early Advent helps preserve a Christmas Day focus on the Christ Child."

Hmm well that part is Holland only (belgium sucks).

I lived in Germany and we would leave a shoe out on the 6th. Charcoal or treats! I always had treats! LOL
 
My grandparents always used to do this kind of celebrating... I always got me a chocolate letter. yay! I betcha I will this year also.
 
haha, we learned about that in my German class today, actually. there was a reading about St. Nicholaus and Black Peter or something ... but we got chocolate :hotjump:

it's my father's birthday today, actually.
 
i learned about that in my German class today too....a few kids' families do it here too...one of them got a little porcelain phone booth