Elsewhere, Saint Nicolas, riding a horse or a donkey, and Black Peter visit the homes with children in the evening of December 5. He blesses the children and gives candy away, while Black Peter threatens the naughty children with canes.
|
Be happy |
|
| In the Netherlands Saint Nicolas
sails from Spain, together with a few "Black
Peters", who entertain the children with their tricks. Elsewhere, Saint Nicolas, riding a horse or a donkey, and Black Peter visit the homes with children in the evening of December 5. He blesses the children and gives candy away, while Black Peter threatens the naughty children with canes. |
|
|
In the night, Saint Nicolas fills with gifts the shoes that lay close to the fireplace in exchange for hay and carrots to feed his horses. Typical cookies are "Dinant shells", "speculoos" and milk bread. Santa Claus comes from America, he was first mentioned in 1822 in a poem by Clement Clark Moore and pictured in 1860 by Thomas Nast. He stems from Saint Nicolas, who was brought over by Dutch protestants in the 17th century, with a touch of the Nordic god Odin, a magician and wild hunter, who was heard riding across the skies in winter nights. Good-natured and righteous, red-nosed and white-bearded, Santa Claus brings the Christmas gifts.
|
|
| Be happy and rejoice in the
Lord - St Nicolas is on the way I leave my plate - St Nicolas will certainly fill it - When I sleep, I dream - St Nicolas is bringing something for me As I get up - I rush to my plate - Nicolas is a good man whom you cannot thank enough Merry, Merry, tralalalala - St Nicolas is on the way |
| Anniversaries: | Patricia Kaas, Walt Disney two of our friends - nine of our ancestors |
| from our family history: | 104 years ago died the Austrian sea-lieutenant Alfred Klein in Triest. He was born in 1866 in Puebla in Mexico, where his father served the archduke Maximilian von Habsburg who was Emperor of Mexico. |