Saint Nicholas Was Here…
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Dieser Beitrag ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar.
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…and he brought this pretty seasonal bouquet!
Today is Saint Nicholas Day, according to the Gregorian calendar. Some orthodox parishes celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on December 6th according to the Julian calendar, which is equivalent to December 19th of the Gregorian calendar.
The person honoured on this day is Saint Nicholaos of Myra, who was a bishop in the town today known as Demre in Turkey. The date of his death is known as December 6th some time in the 4th century, the exact year being unclear.
Legend has it that Saint Nicholas rendered many miracles and gifted his wealth to the poor and other people in need. Amongst many others he is the Patron Saint of the sailors and children.
The latter probably is the reason why in the morning of each December 6th children in Germany find sweets and little gifts in their shoes brought by Saint Nicholas. That is, if the shoes have been polished properly.
It seems that Santa Claus (a nickname for Saint Nicholaos) originally brought all the Christmas gifts on this date and I read that in some countries it still is the case. With the protestant reformation the veneration of Saint Nicholaos was abolished. Therefore, the custom of bringing gifts was mainly moved to the 24th and 25th of December at many places. In some places it even is the Christ-Child who now is bringing the Christmas presents.
Being the Patron Saint of the sailors the Hanseatic League chose him as their own, as well. This must be the reason why a lot of St. Nikolai churches can be found in North Germany.
Personally, I am not a Christian but I like the idea that a benevolent spirit is protecting the poor, the outcast, children, the elderly, lovers, those giving birth, travellers, students as well as sailors.
Being a sailor’s daughter and living in an old hanseatic city, I guess I cannot quite escape the magic of this day.
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With this in mind:
Happy Saint Nicholas Day!
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Are you ready to shine a bright light of awareness on the path of beingness, today?
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Much love,
Steffi
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Did you put your shoe out? was it filled? I still continue this tradition with my children now as I always got it as a child. It is fun and the start of eating my favourite German Lebkuchen. Yummy.
Hi Dear Ute,
Thank you for stopping by and sharing the joy of Saint Nicholas Day! – I hope you had a happy one!
Haha! – Actually we have two little “Santa boots” that are positioned in the entrance area of our flat during Christmas time. But this year the gift did not fit into the boots because it was a package with tea from Ireland that arrived on the 6th! 😉
It is awesome that you keep up the tradition with your children. It feels joyful to receive little gifts in between everyday life and the Saint Nicholas tradition offers a great opportunity for that.
Mmmh, Lebkuchen! Given your Southern heritage, I recon you would be used a really good quality of this delicious treat…
Much love and enjoy those Lebkuchens,
Steffi
Oh yes we get the ones from Nuernberg. My sister always supplies me with them. Love them! Soft and tasty!Tea from Ireland sounds great! Enjoy1!
The ones from Nürnberg are very delicious, indeed! We used to get the ones from Schmidt’s Lebkuchen when I was a child. When I discovered my milk allergy I could not eat those, anymore, and now, with our mostly vegan life style (some honey in moderate amounts is ok, though) I am looking into baking our own… I found an interesting recipe for Elisen Lebkuchen as well as one for Hamburger Braune Kuchen which I am planning to try out this year and maybe the one for Aachener Printen.
Yes, the tea is awesome. We love Bewley’s tea!
That is where I get it from Schmidt. Yes the Elisen are awesome. My friend once did Aachener Printen and they were hard as rocks. We mocked her then, but I never tried to make them. I think they are quite hard to make. Good luck with yours!
Hehe… Some would say that Printen are supposed to be that hard (http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/97921038929400/Aachener-Printen-III.html) , but I do love my teeth!
The recipe I found does not look too awfully hard to make, actually, but I believe when working with potash (Pottasche) – which will be a first for me – it is important to let the dough rest long enough (like over night) so that the chemical reaction with the potash can take place and the dough can transform a bit. I will keep in mind what you told me about your friends experience and make sure that I let the dough rest long enough and that I will neither bake the Printen too long nor too hot!
You are so lucky that your sister provides you with such excellentLebkuchen! Schmidt’s also always have those pretty metal boxes! I still have a coupple of big square ones that I use for storing some of my creative stuff, and a coupple of round ones that I occasionally use for storing baked goods. Maybe this year it will be Elisen and Printen!