Many children associate December 6 with the custom of putting their polished boots outside the door the evening before, which are then filled with gifts such as chocolate, gingerbread and nuts by St. Nicholas during the night. However, St. Nicholas is much more than just a bringer of gifts and became famous for his heroic deeds.

Who was St. Nicholas?

Over the centuries, St. Nicholas has developed into the mythical figure we know today. Nevertheless, this custom is based on a historical person. The Greek origin of his name Nikólaos means nothing less than "victory of the people". To this day, St. Nicholas is one of the most revered figures in history. He lived at the beginning of the 4th century and was known for his kindness and helpfulness.

In fact, there is little evidence of his life and work. Nicholas was born between 270 and 286 AD in Patara, in what is now Turkey. It is said that he was ordained a priest by his uncle at the age of 19, but this cannot be proven. During the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Nicholas is also said to have been imprisoned and tortured. Shortly after his release, he was appointed Bishop of Myra. He is said to have performed several miracles. It is said, for example, that he calmed a storm and brought several dead people back to life. Nicholas died on December 6 between 345 and 350 AD.

It was not until around 200 years later that the cult of the holy figure of St. Nicholas began. From Greece to the Eastern European countries and from the 10th century onwards also in the Western world. However, he became most popular in Russia, where people not only venerated him as the patron saint of individual professional groups, he even became the patron saint of the country.

Curse or blessing?

The majority of children look forward to his arrival and thus to his praise and gifts. Poems are eagerly learned and boots are polished in the evening. That's one side of it, but in earlier times in particular, children were afraid of him, because St. Nicholas also had his dark side. If a child wasn't good, they didn't get presents, but a rod. Parents threatened their children that St. Nicholas would bring his companion, Knecht Ruprecht, with him. He knew about every child, especially whether they had been good or naughty.

Today, this image has changed in many regions: Santa Claus, Santa Claus and Knecht Ruprecht are now more or less one person. A bearded, elderly man with a jute sack full of gifts.

Knecht Ruprecht - mild helper or evil adversary

Knecht Ruprecht is St. Nicholas' helper. He is known by different names depending on the region. In Switzerland he is known as Schmutzli, in Luxembourg as Housecker. In Austria and Bavaria he goes about his business as "Krampus", whereas in the Netherlands he is known as "Zwarte Piet", a kind of tamed devil. Not only does he have many names, there are also different depictions of Knecht Ruprecht. He usually wears a dark robe and a long beard. He carries a rod or a stick and a basket filled with goodies. Darker depictions show him with fur and sometimes even with horns.

There is evidence of the figure of Knecht Ruprecht in folklore since the 16th century. In early sources, he embodies evil and is depicted as a kind of evil counterpart to St. Nicholas. His role is to punish children who have been naughty with the rod and thus encourage them to be more diligent and behave well. The "rough Precht", a ghostly figure who devoured the souls of naughty children, may have served as a possible role model. Such frightening figures had their heyday in the 17th century, when attempts were made to make children compliant by means of fear as part of educational measures. Over time, however, the figure of the evil, punishing Ruprecht changed in most regions into a mild gift bringer and helper of St. Nicholas.

St. Nicholas as gift bringer - the bishop's game

The custom of a person dressing up as St. Nicholas and giving presents to well-behaved children probably originates from a medieval custom, the bishop's game. In monastery and convent schools, a child was appointed bishop for a day. Dressed in matching robes, it rewarded or punished the other children for their behavior. The game originally took place on December 28, the Feast of the Innocent Children. Later, this custom was moved to St. Nicholas Day to honor St. Nicholas.

However, the fact that St. Nicholas brings presents is also based on a legend.

St. Nicholas and the penniless merchant

Even before Nicholas became a bishop, he inherited a considerable fortune. At the time, there was a poor merchant living near him who could not afford his daughters' dowries. In order to marry them off anyway, he came up with the perfidious idea of raising the money by prostituting his daughters. Nicholas became aware of this and one night secretly threw a lump of gold down the merchant's chimney. The merchant was then able to use the gold to marry off his eldest daughter. Nicholas repeated this gesture twice more so that the other two daughters could also be married off. The merchant caught the secret benefactor with the last lump of gold. Nicholas then asked him to keep quiet, but the merchant told everyone who would listen.

This legend is said to have led to adults doing the same as St. Nicholas; they threw gifts into a room where the children were staying. However, as older children - due to their size - had an advantage in catching the presents, the custom developed of placing the gifts in a container overnight.

Of boats and boots

Since at least the 15th century, children have been making little boats out of paper or other materials for St. Nicholas to put the presents in. But why ships? According to legend, the bishop was a patron saint of sailors and saved sailors in distress from death. It is not without reason that churches near the coast often bear the name Nikolai. The ship soon became an attribute of the saint in art and in some regions came to symbolize St. Nicholas Day.

The custom of filling socks was probably inspired by the legend of the merchant (see blue box above). It is said that the lumps of gold thrown down the chimney got caught in a sock. The existing bowls and dishes were also used in everyday life, so it made sense to use the children's shoes or boots.

From the Reformation in the 16th century onwards, the custom of inserting the socks became a custom of retreat in the areas of the Counter-Reformation. An adult dressed as St. Nicholas came into the living room and checked whether the children had fulfilled their duties. "Good" children were given presents, "negligent" children were admonished. Critical voices call this form of education "scaremongering". Although this custom still exists in some regions today, it no longer has an evaluative, judgmental character.

Other legends

There are a number of legends attributed to St. Nicholas, although it is assumed that in some cases two historical figures merge into one: the aforementioned Nicholas of Myra and his namesake, the Bishop of Pinara.

A very impressive legend tells of a revival. Out of greed, three scholars were killed by an innkeeper, dismembered and pickled in brine. When Nicholas heard about this from an angel, he went to the innkeeper and confronted him. He then found the barrel of salt, reassembled the scholars and brought them back to life. Resurrections were not uncommon with Nicholas.

Another legend says that Nicholas was already very pious as an infant. He only took his mother's breast once a day on the weekly fast days (Wednesdays and Fridays).

Last but not least, a few more legends in quick succession: Nicholas saved people from famine, brought an abducted child back home via a whirlwind, saved innocent people from execution and fought the ancient goddess Diana.