it is a Hungarian tradition to put shoes into the windows on the evening of 5 December.
it is also a nice way to motivate kids to clean up their shoes for themselves.
along comes the night, when Santa Claus visits us silently and fills up the shoes with fancy chocolates, candies, peanuts, tangerines and other fruits. in some families, non-edible presents are also bought by Santa.
it's not for us.
all we get from St. Nicholaus is edible.
-
also incorporated into our family's activities for 6 December was a visit from a 'real' Santa. it was the neighbour on the opposite side of the road. on a side note - unlike many other Hungarian families, we do know who our neighbours are, and we organize get-togethers every month or two. but that's another story. back to Santa Claus.
-
our kids are not really small. they noticed two years ago that 'Santa' had a black sweater underneath his usual red costume. last year they noticed the fake moustache.
we told them Santa was generally busy, so he asked a man to come instead. i think they accepted it quite well.
this time we started suggesting our kids that they were growing bigger and that Santa had many other, smaller kids to visit.
we did polished our shoes however and put them into the window.
-
so we, the parents filled up the shoes during the night and went to bed. we knew the kids would be up against the curtains on the dawn of 6 december - to see what they got from St. Nicholaus.
(we usually go to the windows together - it's not a race, after all... there are just enough delicacies for everyone in the family)
-
I was kind of ill so i stayed in bed in that morning. i usually get up at 6 or 6:30, but now i was tired. we waited for the kids to tell us to go and see the soes in the window - just like they do every year. or the way they used to do.
because this year it was different.
my son came up to us and whispered: 'we can get to see the shoes now, because i have placed my presents there as well'.
-
upon examining the contents of the shoes we did find a small pack of candies that were unknown to us, parents. it was what my son bought.
he never asked anything like: 'do you put the chocolate there?'...
he just grew up.
-
for an earlier post on traditions around St Nicholaus in Hungary click on the tag 'Santa Claus'.
it is also a nice way to motivate kids to clean up their shoes for themselves.
along comes the night, when Santa Claus visits us silently and fills up the shoes with fancy chocolates, candies, peanuts, tangerines and other fruits. in some families, non-edible presents are also bought by Santa.
it's not for us.
all we get from St. Nicholaus is edible.
-
also incorporated into our family's activities for 6 December was a visit from a 'real' Santa. it was the neighbour on the opposite side of the road. on a side note - unlike many other Hungarian families, we do know who our neighbours are, and we organize get-togethers every month or two. but that's another story. back to Santa Claus.
-
our kids are not really small. they noticed two years ago that 'Santa' had a black sweater underneath his usual red costume. last year they noticed the fake moustache.
we told them Santa was generally busy, so he asked a man to come instead. i think they accepted it quite well.
this time we started suggesting our kids that they were growing bigger and that Santa had many other, smaller kids to visit.
we did polished our shoes however and put them into the window.
-
so we, the parents filled up the shoes during the night and went to bed. we knew the kids would be up against the curtains on the dawn of 6 december - to see what they got from St. Nicholaus.
(we usually go to the windows together - it's not a race, after all... there are just enough delicacies for everyone in the family)
-
I was kind of ill so i stayed in bed in that morning. i usually get up at 6 or 6:30, but now i was tired. we waited for the kids to tell us to go and see the soes in the window - just like they do every year. or the way they used to do.
because this year it was different.
my son came up to us and whispered: 'we can get to see the shoes now, because i have placed my presents there as well'.
-
upon examining the contents of the shoes we did find a small pack of candies that were unknown to us, parents. it was what my son bought.
he never asked anything like: 'do you put the chocolate there?'...
he just grew up.
-
for an earlier post on traditions around St Nicholaus in Hungary click on the tag 'Santa Claus'.
6 megjegyzés:
Wonderful traditions. :)
When our kids were little, we had them put their shoes outside the door on St. Nicholas Eve. Actually it was Kathleen who was the one to do it. And our second daughter Sarah would make Swedish St. Lucia Bread (with Kathleen's help) and would wear a wreath with lighted candles in it on the early morning of St. Lucia Day, Dec. 13. Thank heavens nothing caught on fire, especially Sarah's hair.
"He just grew up." in the nicest way.Well done!
He realized that the real spirit of Christmas is loving and giving, and that the St. Nicolaus rituals were merely outward symbols of that.
Jason,
although it involves eating lots of chocolates, it also requires some activity from the child.
and finally, they grow up anyway...
Steve,
there used to be various activities attached to Luca's day (on 13 December) as part of the old Hungaran traditions. People used to make Luca's chair and carry it along with themselves to the midnights mass into the church. it is believed that when you step on that special chair, you are able to see the witches.
another activity was to sow wheat - uhm, I guess to tell the future somehow.
Bernita,
this implied meaning is what we are trying to teach them. he's turning 13 on the 30 December, you see.
thanks for your comments!
Beautiful! And wow! December 6th! Is there a reason for that date?
Melly,
december 6th was the day when St Nicholas of Myra, a bishop was buried in Russia around 350. (not in 1350, in plain 350)
St Nicholas, whose name was turned into Santa Claus worldwide, but especially in the English speaking countries, was a high priest who tried to follow Jesus's example by helping poor country people with food.
At one recorded example he put lots of golden coins into the window of a poor family so that the girls were able to live and get married properly. otherwise, one of the girl would have been sent to a brothel to become a prostitute. basically, the bishop saved the girls's honor by giving them the money. he always did what he did at night, he wanted to remain anonymous.
that is the root of the tradition.
children put their shoes into the window, but they never get to see when St. Nicholas visits them.
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