Day 92 St Nick

So who is the man behind the legend of Santa Claus? Nicholas lived in the third century in Asia Minor, in what is now the country of Turkey. His parents died from an illness while Nicholas was a teenager and left him a large inheritance of money. Nicholas’ parents taught him about Jesus. As he grew older, he followed the teachings of Jesus and sold all his possessions, secretly giving money to those in need.

One of the most widely shared stories is how he helped a poor family with three daughters. The family had no money and could not provide a dowry for the girls to be married, so they were going to be sold into slavery. Nicholas learned about this. One night after the family was asleep, he rode by the house on his horse and tossed a bag of gold through the window. It is said to have landed in the girls’ stockings that were hung by the fire to dry. He did this three nights in a row to provide for each of the three daughters.

Nicholas became well-loved by the people and later became the Bishop of Myra. He died on December 6th in 343 A.D. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration in his honor, called St. Nicholas Day. On this day, children would give and receive small gifts of candy, chocolate initial letters, or riddles hidden in baked goods or in elaborate packaging. Children also hung stockings by the fire or placed shoes filled with carrots and hay for the horse, eagerly awaiting gifts from St. Nicholas. Gold balls or oranges were given to represent the gifts of gold once given by St. Nicholas.

Throughout the years, St. Nicholas gained popularity in Europe including Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. This tradition came to America with the waves of European immigrants and over the centuries developed into our modern day legend of Santa Claus.

This is the story of the real St. Nick and he still remains a model of the compassionate and selfless life.