Feast of St. Nicholas

December 6th is normally the Feast day of St. Nicholas. Since this year the 6th is actually the Second Sunday of Advent, I believe (someone correct me if I am wrong) that his feast is not actually celebrated. Even so, I still thought I might write a short post about this well-known saint.

St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra in Asia Minor and died around 350. He is a very popular saint throughout the world, especially in the Eastern Churches.

In his book, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, Francis X. Weiser tells us this about the traditions of the Feast of St. Nicholas:

"In many parts of Europe children still receive his 'visit' on the eve of his feast. Impersonated by a man wearing a long white beard, dressed in the vestments of a bishop, with miter and crozier, he appears in the homes as a heavenly messenger. Coming at the start of Advent, he admonishes the children to prepare their hearts for a blessed and holy Christmas. He examines them on their prayers. After exhorting them to be good, he distributes fruit and candy and departs with a kindly farewell, leaving the little ones filled with holy awe.

"It was this 'visit of Saint Nicholas' on December 5 that the Dutch brought to the New World as an annual cherished custom. From it later developed the American custom of Santa Claus's visit at Christmas."

I must say that I personally prefer the traditional celebration of this feast day in which St. Nicholas helps us to prepare for Christmas, rather than Santa Claus being the most important part of Christmas.

Why not start this tradition of celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas with your family?

Finally, just for fun, here is a video I recently came across related to St. Nicholas: