St Nicholas' Day

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The original Father Christmas is patron saint to pawnbrokers! Their symbol is three bags of gold (not three balls, as most people think), said to have been given by the saint to save three sisters from being sold by their bankrupt father. The first pawnbrokers to adopt the sign was in Lombard Street, on the site of a former Church of St Nicholas.

St Nicholas also looks after children, especially schoolboys. In countries on the European mainland, this is the day he traditionally gives presents - to well-behaved children only!

One of the traditions which used to take place on this day was 'Barring-out'. Pupils would arrive early at school and bar the doors to lock the teachers out until they gave in to their demands, ending in treats all round.

St Nicholas is remembered in many parts of the Christianised world every year on 6th December, although in other parts he is hardly remembered at all, except in his guise as Santa Claus (which derives from the Dutch Sinterklaas), more familiarly known as Father Christmas.

Some say that the choice of 6th December as his feast day is a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the association of the same date with the goddess Diana’s birth and the pagan rites which went along with it.

The celebration of St Nicholas on 6th December continues in many places, and some cultures still choose to use this occasion to give gifts to children. However, such have been the commercial pressures of the past few decades that more and more people are moving the focal point for this activity to Christmas Day.

However, there are still celebrations in Germany each year and the city of Milwaukee in the USA also has a strong tradition of celebrating "St Nick’s Day," probably because of its large immigrant German community.

In the Netherlands St Nicholas is remembered on 6th December, but on the eve of the festivities he appears in his Santa Claus persona to distribute gifts. There are similar celebrations in parts of Belgium as well.

St Nicholas, the Man

St Nicholas (or St Nickolas, spellings differ) was Bishop of Myra and remains the Patron Saint of sailors, fishermen, the falsely accused, pawnbrokers, thieves and a number of cities. But for children in many countries all over the world he is still known as the magical figure who brings them presents, either on his special day or at Christmas.

Nicholas was born into a wealthy Christian family in Patara, Lycia, a Greek colony. He is said to have been very religious from an early age, and on the death of his parents, he gave his substantial inheritance away.

Many miracles and good deeds are attributed to St Nicholas, but the most famous relate how fathers who could not afford a dowry for their daughters (which would mean they were unable to marry, and might have been forced into prostitution) would find little bags of gold coins thrown through their windows, under cover of night.

During his life and work within the Church, there was much persecution of Christians and it is the reaction and works of Nicholas which have led to him being regarded as a Defender of Orthodoxy.