In Austria, a joint partnership has long operated in the festive season. St Nicholas is the wise old gent who rewards the well-behaved, while bad children have to deal with the Krampus. He’s a figure that would make you think twice about pulling your sister’s hair. With a red face, horns and a sharp-toothed leer, Read more
Posts Tagged ‘St Nicholas’
Believe it or not – Santa’s grave has been found
Thursday, October 5th, 2017
Santa’s not someone (perhaps something) many of us believe in for long once we start school. There’s always someone to put you right about the magical appearance of sweet-and-toy filled socks. Yet Santa Claus was a real person who is otherwise known as St Nicholas. Revered for his gift-giving and aid to the poor, the Read more
Russians flock to see relics
Thursday, June 8th, 2017Over 300,000 Russians have been standing in huge lines for up to 10 hours to visit a gilded ark thought to carry bone fragment relics of St Nicholas. “The thing is, people don’t have much to hope for … they have nothing else to rely on, other than to go and pray,” says Xenia Loutchenko, Read more
The many feasts during Advent
Tuesday, December 8th, 2015
Although the four weeks of Advent focus on waiting for Christmas, the Church does not just sit around and wait for the main event. It celebrates plenty of major feasts with lots of customs, traditions, and even special foods during the month of December. St. Nicholas Early in the Advent season, Dec. 6, the Church Read more