Man, this is really the season. One celebration after another... This is a holiday I know very well from Germany:
Here is the story for you:
In Roman Catholic areas of southern Germany, such as Bavaria, Sankt Nikolaus still comes as a bishop with flowing beard and a bishop's miter and staff. Houses are thoroughly cleaned and children clean and polish their shoes or boots in preparation for the saint's visit. On the evening before St. Nicholas Day, children put letters to the good saint along with carrots or other food for his white horse or donkey on a plate or in their shoes. These are left outside, under the bed, beside a radiator, or on a windowsill in hopes of finding goodies from St. Nicholas the next morning. During the night Sankt Nikolaus goes from house to house carrying a book in which all the children's deeds are written. If they have been good, he fills their plate, shoe or boot with delicious fruits, nuts and candies. If not, they may find potatoes, coal, or twigs.
Children practice poems and songs for Sankt Nikolaus and make little presents for him. Friends and neighbors come to share in the fun. Candles on the Advent wreath and the big Christmas pyramid with a nativity scene in the center are lit. Stories are read or songs sung as everyone waits for a knock on the door. When it comes, they all know it is Sankt Nikolaus, who comes in with his big book, golden crozier, and a big heavy sack. One of the children gets to hold the golden staff. Each child (and sometimes adults, too) stand in front of the saint. Nikolaus asks each child, "Have you behaved yourself?" "Do you do your homework?" "Do you keep your room tidy?" "Do you help your parents?" Then he opens his big sack and gives presents and candies and treats for all to share. And they give him the little surprises. Nikolaus leaves quickly as he has many places to visit. He travels with a white horse or a donkey and sometimes Ruprecht, his most common German companion, is with him.
Ruprecht travels with Sankt Nikolaus carrying a rod (sometimes a stick, a mace, switchblade, scythe, revolver, a magic top hat, bundle of switches or a whip, and in modern times often a broom) and a sack. He is sometimes dressed in black rags, bearing a black face and unruly black hair. In many contemporary portrayals the companions look like dark, sinister, or rustic versions of Nikolaus himself, with a similar costume but with a darker color scheme.
Sometimes he takes on more monstrous forms, namely in Austria, Bavaria, or Hungary. Krampus and Klaubauf are variously depicted as horned, shaggy, bestial, or demonic. In many depictions the Krampus looks like popular images of the Devil, complete with red skin, cloven hooves, and short horns. They whip everyone that comes on their path.
Those children who performed badly enough or had committed other misdeeds throughout the year were put into Ruprecht's sack and taken away, variously to Ruprecht’s home in the Black Forest, or to be tossed into a river. In other versions the children must be asleep, and would either awake to find their shoes filled with sweets, coal, or in some cases a stick.
So-o-o, now you can understand why my siblings and I made sure we behaved... At least the day before Sankt Nikolaus showed up. ;-) We didn't want to end up in Ruprecht's sack or get coal instead of sweets...
And I guess what - I should get coal today... Because I'm a slacker and I didn't take a picture of yesterday's Bovent cow. Y'all are probably relieved to get a break anyway. BUT - I have knitting content instead.
I finished the outfit for the AKG Trauma Bear. And here is the little teddy bear girl with her new outfit.
Now she's dressed in a cute little tubey dress with cables, a matching shrug, and a bow. Sorry, no pattern for the outfit. It's in my head, but that doesn't help much, does it? Maybe soon, OK?
Needle: US 5 / 3.75 mm
Yarn: Noro Kureyon
How much? 1 skein = 110.0 yards (100.6m)
Colorway: Bright rainbow colors - Color No. 102 Lot Y
Comments (1)
In Italy they sell a 'hardened, black froth' of sugar. Kind of like the "Fairy Candy" you can buy in some places in the US, but black and no chocolate covering. This Black, frozen, frothy sugar looks like charcoal and the Italians call it "Carbone" which is carbon or coal. It is bought as a 'joke' to put in children's sockings.
Posted by Helen | December 7, 2007 4:36 AM
Posted on December 7, 2007 04:36