December 6 marks the feast day of St. Nicholas of Myra, the great Christian bishop who is more popularly known as Santa Claus. In Holland and many other countries, children leave their shoes out on the night of December 5 for St. Nicholas to fill with money and small treats such as chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil. The Dutch brought this custom with them to the New World, where it evolved into the custom of Santa Claus that is popularly known today.Nicholas was born in the fourth century AD in what is now Turkey. Though his parents were wealthy and he lived a life of privilege, Nicholas always possessed a heart for helping the poor, especially after his parents died. According to legend, Nicholas was consecrated as Bishop of Myra because a council of Bishops had met to decide on a new Bishop for Myra, and the one of them saw in a dream that they should consecrate the first man to walk through the church doors for prayer in the morning. That man was Nicholas, who used his power as bishop to help the poor. Many legends surround his great deeds, including that he saved three impoverished young women who could not marry because their father could not provide them with dowries. Without dowries, the young women faced lives of prostitution, but Nicholas visited them by night and threw bags of gold through their open window. For this reason, Nicholas is often depicted with three bags of gold.
Whatever the legends that may surround him, it is known that Nicholas was in fact a great defender of both the poor and the Christian faith. For his faith, Nicholas was tortured and imprisoned by Emperor Diocletian. He died on December 6, 345.
For more information on the life and deeds of St. Nicholas, see Who is Santa Claus: The True Story Behind a Living Legend by Robin Crichton, copyright 1987 by Canongate Publishing. Resources for celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas can be found at The St. Nicholas Center.
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