On the Eve of December 6th, many children in Europe will be
chanting;
St. Nicholas, mon bon patron,
Apportez-moi beaucoup de bon-bons
Plein mes bas et mes souliers: Je serai sage toute l’annee.
Plein mes bas et mes souliers: Je serai sage toute l’annee.
St. Nicholas, my owner, bring me
lots of candy Fill the bottoms of my soles:I will
behave all year
French children will
place their shoes near the chimney tomorrow night, in hopes that
St. Nicholas will bring them gifts. St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, (now known as
Demre, Turkey), lived in the third century. Born to wealthy
parents, he used his inheritance
to help the needy. Throughout the
centuries many stories have been told of his life
and deeds. These legends
will be passed to
younger generations, as families across the
world gather on December 6th.
The most famous
story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In
those days a young woman's
father had to offer
prospective husbands something of value( a dowry).
Without a dowry, a woman was
unlikely to marry.
This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were
therefore destined to be sold as
prostitutes.
Mysteriously, three bags of gold appeared in their
home, providing the needed dowries.
The bags of gold,
tossed through an open window, are said to have
landed in the shoes left before the
fire to dry. This led
to the custom of children putting out shoes, eagerly
awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas.
Sometimes the story is
told with gold balls instead of bags of gold.
And so St. Nicholas is a gift-giver and becomes the Patron Saint of children.
December 6 will bring
many celebrations in honor of St. Nicholas.
There will be a
parade, music, religious ceremonies, fireworks, and of
course, the magical arrival
of St. Nicholas.
Statue on the front of
the Basilica. See the three
children?
In honor of St. Nicholas and in the spirit of the season,
I think we
should also celebrate
December 6th and give to a child in
need.
Gather around your
fireplace this Thursday and tell your children
and grand-children
the real story behind Santa Claus.If you would like
additional information
you can visit these
sites.
Have a Wonderful St.
Nicholas Day!
