Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
THE FEAST DAY OF ST. Nicholas
This feast is a Christian religious celebration of St. Nicholas, whose life and legend later became the foundation for the tradition of Santa Claus. In my opinion, though, the American depiction of Santa Claus does not do the saint justice. (You’ll need to read the bio below to see why.)
Defender of Orthodoxy
Wonderworker
Holy Hierarch
Bishop of Myra
Who is St. Nicholas?
Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (Greek: Μύρα; modern-day Demre, Turkey) during the time of the Roman Empire. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. His reputation evolved among the pious, as was common for early Christian saints, and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus (“Saint Nick“) through Sinterklaas.
Little is known about the historical Saint Nicholas. The earliest accounts of his life were written centuries after his death and probably contain legendary elaborations. He is said to have been born in the Greek seaport of Patara, Lycia, in Asia Minor to wealthy Christian parents.
In one of the earliest attested and most famous incidents from his life, he is said to have rescued three girls from being forced into prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of their house each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for each of them. Other early stories tell of him calming a storm at sea, saving three innocent soldiers from wrongful execution, and chopping down a tree possessed by a demon. In his youth, he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Egypt and Palestine. Shortly after his return, he became Bishop of Myra. He was later cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian, but was released after the accession of Constantine.
An early list makes him an attendee at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, but he is never mentioned in any writings by people who were at the council. Late, unsubstantiated legends claim that he was temporarily defrocked and imprisoned during the council for slapping the heretic Arius. Another famous late legend tells how he resurrected three children, who had been murdered and pickled in brine by a butcher planning to sell them as pork during a famine.
Fewer than 200 years after Nicholas’s death, the St. Nicholas Church was built in Myra under the orders of Theodosius II over the site of the church where he had served as bishop, and his remains were moved to a sarcophagus in that church.
In 1087, while the Greek Christian inhabitants of the region were subjugated by the newly arrived Muslim Seljuk Turks, and soon after their church was declared to be in schism by the Catholic church, a group of merchants from the Italian city of Bari removed the major bones of Nicholas’s skeleton from his sarcophagus in the church without authorization and brought them to their hometown, where they are now enshrined in the Basilica di San Nicola. The remaining bone fragments from the sarcophagus were later removed by Venetian sailors and taken to Venice during the First Crusade.
How is St. Nicholas Day celebrated?
Saint Nicholas’ Feast Day became a traditional day for gift giving in most of Western mainland Europe. It remains a popular tradition and for children, receiving presents on Saint Nicholas Day is still a bigger event than Christmas.
Depending on the country, the presents may be given on the evening of Saint Nicholas Eve, December 5th or on December 6th, Saint Nicholas Day.
One view is that getting the presents out of the way early in the Christmas period, helps focus Christmas day itself on the nativity of Christ. Though in Germany and Switzerland, presents are also brought at Christmas by the Christ Child, the infant Jesus.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, Saint Nicholas is called ‘Sinterklass’. He comes each year from Spain in November and gives his presents while riding on a white horse, accompanied by his sidekick, Black Peter.
In Germany, the sidekick is a more sinister figure. Called Krampus, he looks more like the devil and may visit on Saint Nicholas Eve to punish children who have been naughty.
How Saint Nicholas became Santa Claus
Clearly, the gift-giving of Saint Nicholas forms part of the basis of the American Santa Claus, whose name comes from the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas, Sinterklass. The tradition of Sinterklass came to the Americas from Dutch settlers and merged with the British tradition of Father Christmas
A German-born, American political cartoonist, Thomas Nast, is credited with the first modern depiction of Santa Claus in the late nineteenth century.
Thomas Nast, for Harper’s Weekly – This image is available from the United States Library of Congress‘s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c22770. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing.
January 3, 1863 cover of Harper’s Weekly, one of the first depictions of Santa Claus
What do you eat for The Feast of St. Nicholas?
St. Nicholas is one of Christianity’s most well-known saints. As a result, there are numerous traditions surrounding this Feast Day celebration.
One of those traditions, from the Netherlands, is called Sinterklaas Borstplaat (Dutch Fondant).
Borstplaat is one of a rich variety of traditional Sinterklaas candies and it comes in many shapes, sizes, flavours and colours.
Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar to 3 tablespoons of liquid (water, milk, or light cream)
1 teaspoonful of butter
a few drops each of flavouring or extract and a food colouring
Directions
In a small, heavy saucepan, stir sugar and liquid to a paste. Heat slowly to boiling and cook on low heat without stirring until syrup spins a thread. Remove from heat at once, add the butter and a few drops of extract and food colouring. Stir long and vigorously until the mixture thickens. Drop from tip of spoon onto waxed paper, pour into a greased pan, or put into a mold. Cool to solidify. Flavouring can be fruit or other extract, coffee or cocoa.
What is a prayer you could say in honor of the Feast Day of St. Nicholas?
via hallow.com
Novenas, or nine days of prayer, often leading up to a feast day, have a long history in the Church. The St. Nicholas novena is no exception.
Unlike prayers like the Our Father or Hail Mary, which contain a precise set of words that are prayed the same way, novena prayers can vary. The words in one version can differ from the words in another. Some novenas repeat the same prayer for nine straight days; others have slightly different words for each day.
St. Nicholas Novena – Day 1
Dear St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, I humbly beseech you to help guide me through your intercession. Pray for me that I can navigate the challenges in my life with love and kindness that are your hallmark. May your intercession help me overcome any choppy waters in my life. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day 2
St. Nicholas, you were known for your love of children. Pray that I may approach my day with a fraction of the generosity you showed. Pray that I may seek the wonder of God through eyes like those of children, eager to accept the love of my Father. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day 3
Dear St. Nicholas, you were orphaned as a child. Pray for me in moments I feel alone or abandoned. I ask for your intercession especially in times when I drift towards sin and poor decisions. Help me to remember that God is always by my side, a light in my life when I feel alone and when things seem dark and hopeless. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day 4
Most righteous St. Nicholas, whose reputation for generosity has inspired millions across centuries, I come to you today to ask for your prayers. Intercede on my behalf that I may seek to feed the hungry, whether it be those with a physical need or my brothers and sisters with mental, emotional, or spiritual hunger. Guide me to give not of my excess but from my most cherished treasures, should it help build God’s kingdom here on earth. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day 5
St. Nicholas, faithful servant of Christ, you went from bishop to prisoner, unflagging in your faith despite facing persecution because of God. In moments when I feel powerful, pray that I remain humble, remembering Jesus’s words. In moments when we feel weak or defeated, pray that I allow God’s love to uplift me, knowing the prize of heaven that I strive toward. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day 6
St. Nicholas, known for your miracles, inspire me today to see the small miracles in my day. The warmth of the sunrise. The beauty of your creation. The love of those who care for me. The most amazing miracle of Jesus’s presence in the the Eucharist at Mass each day. Through your intercession, may God bless me and open my eyes to the many miracles, big and small, that I sometimes take for granted. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day 7
St. Nicholas, as a boy, you made a journey to the holy land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Through your intercession, may I follow in Jesus’s path today and every day, demonstrating love, kindness, strength and sacrifice. May I look to you as an example. Pray that I have the courage to seek Jesus, to follow in His footsteps, and to pursue whatever path He lays out for my life. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day 8
St. Nicholas, your body continues to exude a special “manna” to this day. Your ability to heal is well-known. Pray for me, my health, and the health of my loved ones. Through your intercession, keep me free of disease and illness, both physical and non-physical. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day 9
Dear St. Nicholas, every December, you help point us toward the true meaning of Christmas, not the commercial interpretation we so often find surrounding us when the calendar turns to November. You help remind us of what Christmas means and how the world changed forever when Jesus entered it. Pray that we may be inspired by you to see the true “meaning” behind each day. Work, family, school. They can all be stressful and challenging. Pray that we find peace in Jesus, knowing He was born for us and saved us. Through your intercession, I ask for the peace that only Jesus offers as the Way, Truth, and Life. May your example help me to hallow and make holy my life.
I also lift up these special intentions today (list your intention for the novena.)
St. Nicholas, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
When is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas celebrated?
Always celebrated on December 6th, this day marks the death of Saint Nicholas in 343 AD. In the Orthodox Church, Saint Nicholas Day falls on December 19th.
So interesting and inspirational.
Thank you so much! I’m really happy with the decision to start doing these Feast Day recaps. The bios have been more interesting than I would have thought and I’m enjoying the recipe traditions / ideas, too.
Thank you for the interesting and informative information!
You’re welcome! I kind of started doing these Feast Day posts on a bit of a whim, but I’m really enjoying it.
Thanks, great facts I’ll come back to❣️
You’re welcome! I am enjoying these Feast Day posts a lot more than I was expecting. The food ideas are great and I’m learning a lot of interesting history, too.
It probably doesn’t speak well to my dark sense of humor, but I love the idea of Santa Claus slapping a heretic at the Council of Nicaea.