Today is Saint Nicholas Day
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
December 6th Is Saint Nicholas Day
I have always loved Saint Nicholas for who he was and for the many stories and legends about him. For that reason today is an important day that we should all keep in mind during this important holiday season. Nicholas was a very important early Christian who was noted for his kindness, generosity and gentleness. This is his story as I remember it.
The Story of Saint Nicholas
Nicholas was born and raised in Patara a town on the Mediterranean seacoast of modern day Turkey. His father was a very wealthy man who left his wealth to Nicholas. While he was still a young child, both of Nicholas’ parents died: he was orphaned. Therefore, his Uncle John and Aunt Anya became his guardians. His uncle was the Christian pastor of Patara.
John and Anya wanted Nicholas to go to school. So, Nicholas was sent to the church school in nearby Myra, another coastal town and seat of the Bishop of Myra. Soon Nicholas decided he wanted to become a priest like his uncle and so he remained in Myra where he became a priest in the early Christian (Catholic) church.
He soon developed a reputation for his kindness, generosity, gentleness, love of children and sympathy for poor families. There are many stories about his generous acts toward the poor, especially children.
Years later, when the Bishop of Myra died, an election meeting was held at the Cathedral of Myra to choose a new bishop. Nicholas was late for the meeting, and when he entered the Cathedral he was greeted as the new Bishop of Myra.
Later, Bishop Nicholas heard about a once wealthy nobleman in Patara who had three daughters. Because this nobleman had lost all of his wealth years before, he had no dowries set aside for his daughters. Nicholas learned of his plight and decided to do something secretly about it.
He took some of his gold coins, put them in a leather bag, crept silently up to an open window at the nobleman’s house at night and dropped the bag of coins inside. The nobleman and his family were very happy for this gift from an unknown person. News of what happened spread throughout the region. However, it was only after Nicholas’ death that anyone learned that it was he who had given the secret gift of gold coins.
Also, often when visiting poor families, Nicholas would secretly hide and leave gifts for the children. Sometimes he would leave toys and at other times he would hide a gold coin where a child could find it. These acts were well remembered by the people of the region, and after his death the stories about them spread throughout the Christian world.
While Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, the Roman emperor persecuted Christians and sought to end Christianity. One day, Roman soldiers appeared in Myra day and demanded that Nicholas give them Cathedral’s Holy Scriptures, which he had already hidden in a safe place. And they also demanded the he renounce Christianity and worship the Roman emperor as a god. When Bishop Nicholas refused both demands he was arrested and sent away to a location close to Rome for trial and possible death.
Fortunately, at his trial, the judges did not decide to sentence him to death, and so he was thrown into prison. After a while the Roman emperor died, and the Christian prisoners were released by the new emperor.
Nicholas returned to Myra where he was greeted warmly and welcomed home. He was weak from being in prison, but soon recovered enough to continue his ministry as Bishop and to openly as well as secretly aid poor families and children.
Bishop Nicholas served the church for many years as he grew older. He died on December 6th. And remembering what he said about death here being the birth of his new life with Jesus in Heaven, many considered December 6th to be his new birthday. Thus, years later when he was proclaimed a saint, his feast day was declared to be every December 6th.
Saint Nicholas Is Still Well-Known and Loved Today
In Europe he is often called Father Christmas, Pere Noel, or Sinter Klaus. And he leaves gifts for children in many countries on December 6th. In the United States he has become known as Santa Claus due in large part to the poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas by Clement Moore, and he leaves gifts for children every Christmas.
In the Netherlands and several other European countries, children leave their shoes outside their bedroom doors or by their fireplaces at bedtime December 5th. Then, when they wake up on December 6th there are small gifts in their shoes from Saint Nicholas.
In many churches there is a Sunday school tradition involving Saint Nicholas. This tradition was followed at several of the churches I attended throughout my life.
On the Sunday closest to December 6th, an older man – preferably one who has a grey or white beard – dresses as a bishop. He wears a bishop’s robes and miter (hat) and walks with a bishop’s crozier (staff). He carries a large bag, which contains chocolate-filled gold coins. He passes these out to each child. Of course the children love it!
So, today is Saint Nicholas Day, and now you know why.
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