Do you know the tradition of my namesake 'St. Nikolaus' or 'Sinterklaas' (as he's called in Dutch) ?
I really love this tradition. A great thank you to Ayke who let me experience how they celebrate Sinterklaas in Belgium last night! :-)
This tradition goes back a long time and is based on the ledgendary bishop Nikolaus von Myra who lived in Turkey in the 4th century. It also used to be the main gift day, as I found out after some research. So on the 6th of December, or even the evening before, Sinterklaas comes over and gives presents to the children who have been well behaved during the year. The 'bad' kids get caught by Sinterklaas' helper, or Krampus/Knecht Ruprecht/Zwarte Piet. So it's always a thrilling night on the 5th of December... Thousands of kids waiting to see if Sinterklaas brought them any gifts or not. Thankfully we got lucky, since this morning the breakfast table was filled with sweets and chocolates! Thank you Sinterklaas!