6 December is Saint Nicholas Day, better known as Nikolaus in Germany. While the day may not receive the full religious celebration it does in Southern Germany and other traditionally Catholic regions, children across Europe look forward to this day each year.
Nikolaus Day — still celebrated Dec. 6 every year — is a preliminary round of Christmas gifts and holiday cheer in Bavaria. During this holiday, St. Nikolaus visits towns to read from his book and hand out small gifts of nuts, fruits and chocolate from a burlap sack.
Many children put a boot called Nikolaus-Stiefel (Nikolaus boot) outside the front door on the night of 5 December. St. Nicholas fills the boot with gifts and sweets overnight, and at the same time checks up on the children to see if they were good, polite and helpful last year.
Who comes to German children on the 6th of December?
The Krampus is a horned anthropomorphic figure who, in the Central and Eastern Alpine folkloric tradition, is said to accompany Saint Nicholas on visits to children during the night of 5 December (Krampusnacht; “Krampus Night”), immediately before the Feast of St. Nicholas on 6 December.
It's a day of celebration and generosity honoring the tradition of gift-giving of the Patron Saint of Children. It's also known as the Feast of St. Nicholas (as in, December 6th is his feast day). As the story goes, on the night of December 5th, St.
A traditional table might have Bishop's wine, breads, St. Nicholas-shaped cookies, and a special main dish reserved for the holiday. In France, that might be pork with mustard and apples. In Germany, you might enjoy Pfannkuchen, or German pancakes.
Krampus, in central European popular legend, a half-goat, half-demon monster that punishes misbehaving children at Christmastime. He is the devilish companion of St. Nicholas. Krampus is believed to have originated in Germany, and his name derives from the German word Krampen, which means “claw.”
What is the Christmas tradition on 6th December in Germany?
1. Stockings are filled on 6th December. Children in Germany receive their stockings on Saint Nicholas Day, 6th December (they are opened the following morning on 7th December).
The Krampusnacht celebration comes from Europe, particularly in German-speaking areas, and dates back hundreds of years. In folklore, the Krampus arrives the night of December 5, and whips naughty children with a birch switch. He is sometimes described as a servant to St. Nicholas.
Christmas Day (Weihnachtstag) is undoubtedly the biggest and most important national holiday of the year. In Germany, Christmas Day is marked by both religious and non-secular households.
What happens on the nights of December 5 and 6 in Germany?
Even though many European countries observe St. Nicholas Day, the day sometimes varies from December 5th to December 6th. In Germany, St. Nikolaus and his partner, Knecht Ruprecht would visit homes on the evening of December 5th and look if children are behaving.
Krampus is a mythical creature who is often depicted with horns and a demon-like face. According to myth, which likely originated in what is now Germany and Austria, the creature punished children who behaved badly.
Much of Germany knows Santa Claus as Der Weihnachtsmann. The depiction is similar to Saint Nick in the US, and he has similar present-giving tendencies. Der Weihnachtsmann isn't the only Santa Claus-like figure in Germany, however. There's also Heilige Nikolaus (heilige translates to "saint").
Weihnachten (German: [ˈvaɪ̯naxtn̩]) is the observance of what is commonly known in English as Christmas in the German-speaking countries such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Nicholas Day, feast day (December 6) of St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia and Greece, of a number of cities, and of sailors and children, among many other groups, and was noted for his generosity.
At the Christmas markets, you can buy small gifts, food and, of course, delicious mulled wine. 🎅 Every year on 6 December, St Nicholas Day is celebrated in Germany. When the children look outside the door in the morning, they find sweets and small gifts in their polished boots or shoes.
The Christmas tree has found its place into German homes at the end of 18th century. In 2019 29,8 million of Christmas trees were sold in the country. Germans love the mulled wine – each year they drink 50 million liters of it. Several tons of ginger bread cookies and printen are made every year in Germany.
Treat guests to a traditional German Christmas dinner with classic dishes like roasted goose legs, braised red cabbage. and dumplings, and don't forget the mulled wine and platter of gorgeous, festive cookies.
Children who have been naughty for the year receive more than just a lump of coal for the holiday season from Krampus. He is known to chases bad children around with sticks or chains, hitting them and even kidnapping them as punishment, depicted in this 1910 postcard.
However, he has a companion known as the Krampus, a demonic figure with goat horns, hooves, and a long slimy tongue, who punishes bad children by beating them with a birch rod and sometimes carrying them away in a basket on his back, either to eat them or take them to hell.
Max sincerely apologizes for losing his spirit; although Krampus seems to accept his apology, he still tosses Max in as well. Max awakens in his bed on Christmas morning and discovers his family alive and well downstairs, concluding what happened was just a nightmare.
In Hamburg and throughout Germany, children leave their shoes near the fireplace or front door on the night of 5 December. The next morning, they should find that their footwear has been filled overnight with small presents and treats by Nikolaus.
Santa Claus is the American version of Sinterklaas, as is clearly revealed by his name: Santa Claus is a corruption of the Dutch Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas) or Sinterklaas. Besides the name, there are other similarities. Both are old, white men who distribute sacks of gifts in December, especially to children.
