Sunday Snapshots : Czech St. Mikulas Day (St. Nicholas)
December 5th is St. Mikulas (St. Nicholas) day in the Czech Republic. (It is also celebrated in Slovakia and Hungry on this day.) For Czech people this holiday also marks the start of the Christmas season. St. Mikulas is a figure that has been said to have inspired the legend of Santa Claus. The physical appearance is quite similar as is much of the legend. The St. Mikulas tradition goes back to the 4th century Greek bishop St. Nicholas, who was said to have left a generous gift to three poor girls.
Czech children grow up with the legend of St. Mikulas and his two companions, the devil or čertand an angel or anděl. The devil represents evil and angel good. The legend is that these three characters will bring presents to well behaved children. The poorly behaved children get no presents, they get coal or a sack of potatoes. Oh yeah and they get to be stuffed in the Devil’s sack for a nice long holiday in hell.
Every year groups of three dress up as these characters and roam the streets. They look for children whom are asked if they’ve been naughty or nice, to sing a song or recite a poem. The nice children get some treats like candy. The naughty children run away screaming terrified of the čert .
Pretend the snowmen are angels okay.
If you are ever lucky enough to be in the Czech Republic head to the main town squares. That is where you are most likely to spot the characters. Stick around and watch the scene unfold as they approach children and their families.
But if you are like me and know that čertis giving you the evil hairy eyebrow, keep your distance. As much as I love potatoes and warm weather I am a wee claustrophobic and just couldn’t handle the trip down in that sack.
P.S.
Unfortunately I’ve never take photos of the characters or scenes unfolding. But the other day I went to the store and in celebration of the holiday they had these gummy pops. For some reason the Angel was nowhere to be found, maybe it was sold out. So pretend the Santa is an Angel okay ;)
I leave you with one of the most beautiful videos I have ever seen!
Murmuration from Islands & Rivers on Vimeo.
Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
Oh my my how beautiful;!
Thanks Claudia :)!
Thank you for sharing this part of Czech culture! We celebrate St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6th at the private school I work at in the U.S. We have the children leave their shoe out and we put cookies in them for them to discover the next day!
Really? That is so great to see other’s celebrating it :)
What a wonderful story and holiday. Well.. I’m not too thrilled with the devil part, he’s pretty scary for even this old lady. :) I’m even scared at that gummy pop. :)
Hehe! Don’t worry Ramona he is now in my belly and can’t cause you any harm :)
I would definitely get stuffed in that sack too! Well, at least we’d have one another for company : )
Yay, Trix can keep me company! Lol :)
Informative post! But for some reason, I don’t like the looks of that devil gummy pop. It does look evil. LOL.
Haha, a little bit. But he tasted good :)
“Oh yeah and they get to be stuffed in the Devil’s sack for a nice long holiday in hell.”
This had me laughing out loud for about a minute. So funny! Thanks for the cultural insight too, and the cute looking pops!
Thank you Maggie! Glad to hear my words made you laugh. That makes me happy :) Have a great week!
very cute! thanks for sharing!
Thanks Anna!
Lovely post! In Germany, we put our shoes out, and get chocolate and nuts and the like on the morning of the 6th. We believe in Sankt Nikolaus looking like a proper bishop, bringing treats for good kids, coals for bad kids, and sometimes he’s accompanied by a devil-like creature, Belzebub, who punishes naughty kids with a wooden stick, haha.
In the Netherlands though, there’s a huge deal about a boat coming from Spain, for some reason, and he’s got a black assistant. I love all the differences in traditions, really enjoyed this post :)
Hi Kiri, Your traditions sound much like the Hungarian and Slovakian ones. But also the tradition of leaving out your shoes we have it in Mexico. But ours is for the Three Kings day on January 5th. Me too I love learning and experiencing new traditions. Thanks :)
Thanks you for sharing with us Czech St. Mikulas Day . Great snaps.
My pleasure Vianney! Thanks ;)
I’ll be good, I swear! Next year I hope. He he.
Haha, if not you can keep Trix and I company :) Lol!
Sounds like a wonderful tradition! I’d stay clear of the cert too =)
Lol, yeah me too :)
Thanks!
Boy and I thought we frightened our children here…yikes!
That video was amazing thanks for sharing it :)
Haha, I know right but it’s all intended in good fun :)
I was raised by a Slovak mother and Italian father in America,my mother celebrated St. Mikalus day I would put my cleaned boots out and was given mostly treats and a small potato just to keep me honest. I felt special because I would celebrate this and Christmas. Thanks for reminding me of my upbringing
My pleasure Edward, thanks for sharing your memories. :)