Christmas Countdown #6: St. Nicholas Day
Happy Friday!! I'm very excited it's almost the weekend because my birthday is on Sunday and hubby and I took off Monday so we get an extra long weekend :) And since we don't have internet at home, I've planned ahead my Christmas Countdown posts through Monday. I hope everyone has a good weekend and I'll be back on Tuesday!
Today is December 6th, or St. Nicholas Day. It's not something widely celebrated here in the United States, but it is celebrated more around the world. We know him more as Santa Claus. You can look up a more detailed account of his life, but here is one story from his life:
A poor man had three daughters and could not afford a dowry for any of them in order to marry well. Because of this, they were destined to be sold into slavery. However, on three different occasions, they found a bag of gold at their home, which was enough for each dowry. The bags of gold are said to have landed in socks or shoes left out to dry. This is how we get the tradition of hanging stockings out on the mantle for Santa. Other versions of the story tell St. Nicholas leaving gold balls instead of coins. Three gold balls, or sometimes oranges, are one of the symbols of St. Nicholas.
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When we were kids, my mom liked to acknowledge St. Nicholas day in a fun way. I remember waking up on December 6th and there was a shoe outside our bedrooms filled with little treats and sometimes oranges. This is a tradition I'd like to keep up when I have kids! It's a fun way to celebrate another day leading up to Christmas as well as learning the history of who Santa Claus originally was.
Does anyone else celebrate St. Nicholas day?
Today is December 6th, or St. Nicholas Day. It's not something widely celebrated here in the United States, but it is celebrated more around the world. We know him more as Santa Claus. You can look up a more detailed account of his life, but here is one story from his life:
A poor man had three daughters and could not afford a dowry for any of them in order to marry well. Because of this, they were destined to be sold into slavery. However, on three different occasions, they found a bag of gold at their home, which was enough for each dowry. The bags of gold are said to have landed in socks or shoes left out to dry. This is how we get the tradition of hanging stockings out on the mantle for Santa. Other versions of the story tell St. Nicholas leaving gold balls instead of coins. Three gold balls, or sometimes oranges, are one of the symbols of St. Nicholas.
When we were kids, my mom liked to acknowledge St. Nicholas day in a fun way. I remember waking up on December 6th and there was a shoe outside our bedrooms filled with little treats and sometimes oranges. This is a tradition I'd like to keep up when I have kids! It's a fun way to celebrate another day leading up to Christmas as well as learning the history of who Santa Claus originally was.
Does anyone else celebrate St. Nicholas day?
Happy early Birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteI am stopping by from the fun friday blog hop!
I am so excited I found your blog! & I am now following. I look forward to reading more and getting to know you better!
xo
Christina
christinawhoblog.com
Thank you for the sweet comment! I am now following you too! :)
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