How is St Nicholas Day celebrated?
According to songs about the holiday, St. Nicholas resides in Spain, spending most of the year recording the behavior of all children in a big red book. In the Netherlands, St. Nicholas Eve includes festive family dinners, after which Sinter Klass (the Dutch pronunciation of St. Nicholas) often appears with his helper, Black Peter. They may offer cookies and candies, or give a mock lecture to children on good behavior. In some traditions, St. Nicholas doesn’t appear that night at all, but instead, a loud knock is heard and a bag of gifts is left on the doorstep. Later that night, St. Nicholas visits each house on a white horse. He listens through the chimneys to check the children’s behavior, and then jumps down the chimney flue to exchange the carrot or hay left by the children in their shoes for a small gift or some candy. However, bad children don’t receive such nice gifts. Instead, they will receive onions, coal — or switches. The tradition of children leaving shoes by the firepla
