![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Nikolaustag
Dec. 6th, 2007 03:03 pmHappy Nikolaustag, everybody!
I can't speak for the rest of Germany, since I suspect Bavaria is different, but here, today's the day when Santa comes. (The Christkind--Christ child--brings presents on Christmas Day.) Nikolaus is a little more literal here, meaning Bishop Nikolaus (sorry if I have that wrong--I'm not Catholic and I'm only going by what my kids report). He comes in the night and delivers goodies into your shoes. So we filled each kid's shoe with a chocolate Santa, a nutcracker, some gummy bears, and a Kinderei, or hollow chocolate egg with a surprise toy inside. When I went to pick up my daughter at kindergarten they were eating marshmallow candy, chocolate, and oranges, and my son said one of the teachers dressed up as Nikolaus this year at school. He reports that Nikolaus looks like American Santa, but he has no flying sleigh, but rather, goes door to door. (He does, however, look identical to the Weihnachtsman, who is American Santa and DOES have a sleigh.)
Anyway, as far as I can tell, the whole country is one big river of chocolate, candles, decorations, and gifts from now until Drei Koenige (Jan 6).
I can't speak for the rest of Germany, since I suspect Bavaria is different, but here, today's the day when Santa comes. (The Christkind--Christ child--brings presents on Christmas Day.) Nikolaus is a little more literal here, meaning Bishop Nikolaus (sorry if I have that wrong--I'm not Catholic and I'm only going by what my kids report). He comes in the night and delivers goodies into your shoes. So we filled each kid's shoe with a chocolate Santa, a nutcracker, some gummy bears, and a Kinderei, or hollow chocolate egg with a surprise toy inside. When I went to pick up my daughter at kindergarten they were eating marshmallow candy, chocolate, and oranges, and my son said one of the teachers dressed up as Nikolaus this year at school. He reports that Nikolaus looks like American Santa, but he has no flying sleigh, but rather, goes door to door. (He does, however, look identical to the Weihnachtsman, who is American Santa and DOES have a sleigh.)
Anyway, as far as I can tell, the whole country is one big river of chocolate, candles, decorations, and gifts from now until Drei Koenige (Jan 6).
