Saint Nikolaus

Who is Saint Nikolaus? Saint Nikolas comes from the legend of a man called Nikolaus He has many different names in Germany (Belsnickle, Niglo, or Pelznickel) He was born around 245 AD in the port city of Patara (Modern Day Turkey) Very little evidence exists for him but we know that he became the Bishop of Myra and he is the Patron Saint of children, sailors, students, teachers and merchants. He is credited with several miracles and has a day celebrated for him: Decemebr 6th He is seen today as the modern day Santa

Decemeber 6th: Nikolaustag December 6th in Germany is considered Nikolaustag This used to be considered the Christmas Day in Germany Nowadays, this is a preliminary round for Christmas (Christmas 25th) On the night of December 5th or 6th, children in Germany get a visit from Saint Nikolaus He goes from house to house, giving small gifts to the kids. He doesn’t always make a personal appearance Sometimes children clean their shoes up and leave them outside their door for him to place gifts into them. This is similar to which of our Christmas customs?

Variation of Saint Nikolaus In different areas of Germany, Saint Nikolaus has variations In all areas, he is an older man with a long bread and white hair In some area he is dressed like a bishop (Tall hat and long robes) In northern Germany he is dressed in red robes which are lined with fur Who does this sound most like?

Krampus Saint Nikolaus also has another partner walk around with him during the holiday time Krampus is a devil like monster that is the opposite of Saint Nikolaus He is of Germanic origins and comes from the idea of the Nordic God Odin He looks like the devil with horns and hooves. His job is to punish children that have misbehaved during the year He is hit them with the branch that he carries and sometimes has been known to take away bad children from their families

Krampuslauf In addition to Krampus visiting homes, him and his cohorts (little devils) put on a show in the streets of Austria and Bavaria The Krampuslauf is a custom where people get together in the streets and parade through dressed as Krampus An American talks about his experience watching the Krampuslauf: “The ability to be genuinely frightened of someone wearing a costume is often left behind in childhood, and as an adult it is a bizarre experience. Fleeing from a person wearing a wooden mask and brandishing a bundle of sticks is terrifying but also exhilarating.”

Krampuslauf During the Krampuslauf, you can see children, teens and adults participating It isn’t like Halloween horror in the states: There people can actually lash out and inflict injury on bystanders Some American cities also participate in their own version of Krampuslauf: Portland and Philadelphia

Krampus here in the USA Some Americans are fed up with the idea of the classic Santa Claus So they turn to folklore from Europe during the holiday time This trend has even inspired a Krampus comic book and the 2015 movie

Discussion Why do you think the Saint Nikolaus was used in the US? Why didn’t the concept of Krampus join Saint Nikolaus?