Le Jour de Saint Nicolas

Dec 6


With his big beard, and his legendary good-naturedness, St Nicholas is today a character that children in the North and East of France and some European countries love to meet every year on December 6.  

At the origin of the character, a real person: Nicholas of Myra, also known as Nicholas of Bari. Born in the third century in Lycia, in the south of present-day Turkey, this bishop was in the eyes of everyone the protector of children, widows and the weakest people. A benevolent and generous man.
After his death, the miracles that began to be attributed to him are very numerous. According to some, he resurrected children who had been murdered by a butcher. Saint Nicholas then becomes the protector of children and by extension of the weakest.

Every year, during the night of December 5th to 6th, St. Nicholas comes down from the sky and enters the houses through the chimneys to distribute sweets to the good children (chocolates, apples, candies, dried fruits, gingerbread). As for the children, they must deposit a glass of milk for him, before bedtime. St. Nicholas historically travels with his donkey. For this reason,  little children must also bring food for the donkey (hay, grain or carrots). 

However, Saint Nicholas and his donkey are not the only ones to go around the houses. They are also accompanied by the scary Père Fouettard (whip father.) This character dressed in black and with a long black beard is in charge of punishing children who are not good. In some regions, he canes the children, in others, he threatens to carry them away in his bag and sometimes he distributes coal, onions or potatoes. Yikes!

During the first weekend of December, many parades celebrating the arrival of Saint Nicholas are organized in the cities. The bishop, accompanied by his donkey and the Père Fouettard, parade in the streets on different floats and distribute sweets. The parades organized for St. Nicholas are particularly magical in the French region of Lorraine, because he is the patron saint of this region. In the cities of Nancy and Metz, the parades even end with a fireworks display.
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