Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas Leaving a pair of shoes out on December 5th may result in them being full of gifts the next day. Saint Nicholas is known for his generosity of gift giving and is the one responsible for the treats in shoes. Although the celebration of Saint Nicholas is intended to recognize his holiness, it has been almost transformed into something else. Many children just take advantage of the fact that they get candy, and they don’t have any interest in learning the history of Saint Nicholas. Santa Claus is also derived from Saint Nicholas, who has taken a lot of the real meaning of Christmas and turned it into a day focused on receiving gifts. What was once a very significant religious day has been transformed into an unavailing day with not much more importance than for fun. Saint Nicholas was born in Lycia and had a rough childhood, yet he overcame many obstacles and eventually became the Bishop of Myra. He is remembered for how devoted he was to his religion when times were rough. Saint Nicholas’s wealthy parents passed away during his childhood, but he gave everything he owned to the poor and the only thing he really had was his faith. Saint Nicholas translates to “for victory of the people” in Greek and is considered the patron of saint sailors. The tradition on December 6th that is known today as Saint Nicholas’s Day started because medieval nuns would secretly deliver baskets of clothes and food to those in need and because all the sailors would go to church on December 6th to partake in church services to celebrate their favorite saint. The day December 6th has stuck ever since. Although he is most celebrated among Catholic and Orthodox Christians and Anglican and Lutheran churches in Europe, Saint Nicholas has spread to other parts of the world. On the night of December 5th, those who believe in Saint Nicholas (generally children) leave a pair of shoes out and on December 6th they find money, sweet treats, or other gifts from Saint Nicholas.