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, the Krampus is a memorable part of Christmas in Salzburg and the surrounding region. Read more

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 4th-century saint is behind the legend of Santa Claus.

Regardless of whether people believe or otherwise, archaeologists say they think they have found the original Santa Claus's grave under the almost fully intact temple and burial grounds of Saint Nicholas in Antalya, Turkey.

"We have obtained very good results but the real work starts now," says Cemil Karabayram, the director of surveying and monuments in Antalya.

"We will reach into the ground and maybe we will find the untouched body of Saint Nicholas."

Karabayram, who is also the head of Antalya's Monument Authority, says the shrine was discovered during electronic surveys that showed gaps beneath the church.

"We believe this shrine has not been damaged at all, but it is quite difficult to get to it as there are mosaics on the floor," he says.

He says he is very optimistic about uncovering Saint Nicholas's remains, but warns it will take some time to scale each tile one by one and remove them as a whole in a mould.

In recent years, the church in Demre district in Antalya, near his birthplace, has been restored and draws many visitors.

Demre is built on the ruins of Myra, the city where Saint Nicholas, revered by many denominations in Christianity, is believed to have lived.

Source

• The Guardian
• The Telegraph
• Image: Orthodox Christian Network

"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, a Moscow-based commentator on church affairs. Read more

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 celebrates the feast of St. Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop from the region of modern-day Turkey well known for his generosity. The day has customs similar to Christmas, but with variations: Instead of gifts placed in stockings or under the tree, they are placed in children's shoes left outside their bedroom door the previous night.

The day is celebrated differently around the world and particularly emphasized in Eastern Europe, but in the United States, it is primarily focused on the shoe custom with an added emphasis on doing good things for others.

The St. Nicholas Center in Holland, Michigan, sponsors a traveling St. Nicholas exhibit and also has lots of information on its website on the history of the feast day, ways to celebrate, and the distinction between Santa Claus and St. Nicholas.

Immaculate Conception

Two days after the feast of St. Nicholas, the Church celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the United States. The feast is a holy day of obligation celebrating the belief that Mary was without sin from the moment she was conceived.

The day itself does not have anything to do with Advent, but was chosen as the date nine months from the date the Church celebrates Mary's birth, Sept. 8.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The other Marian feast in December is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12, which commemorates Mary's appearance to St. Juan Diego in 1531 at Tepayac, a hill northwest of modern-day Mexico City. Continue reading

Source and Image

• Crux, from an article by Carol Zimmermann.