Nikolaustag tradition in Cheltenham
We all could do with a little extra Festive cheer, so why not celebrate a lovely German Christmas tradition for the children this year in Cheltenham.
In Germany on December 6th they celebrate Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day). On this day children receive sweets, treats and little presents from St. Nikolaus, a very generous, kind and somewhat mysterious figure.
A little bit of factual History:
The historical figure we associate with St. Nikolaus is the Bishop of Myra, he was a priest who inherited a comfortable sum of money from his parents, which he shared and used to help poor people, particularly children. He later became the patron saint of seafarers and children. He died on December 6th which is why Germans celebrate him on this day.
Not every child will get a gift though, you’ve got to be well-behaved, clean, kind and helpful ALL YEAR to get any gifts, sweets, clementine’s or nut’s from St. Nikolaus. He doesn’t reward bad behaviour!
On the eve of December 5th, children clean and polish their shoes or boots until they sparkle and put them outside their front door in the hope that St. Nikolaus will pass by overnight and fill them up with treats. If they were not well behaved children St. Nikolaus’s helper Knecht Ruprecht would leave a stick (eine Rute) or a lump of coal in their boots instead!
So needless to say all children are very well behaved in November leading up to the 6th December and all shoes are sparkling clean.
Why not pick up a new little tradition in Cheltenham this year and have your children clean their boots on December 5th.
If you would like us to clean your home prior to Christmas please get in touch with our home cleaning office in Cheltenham to arrange an in-home estimate for your cleaning requirements. We offer domestic cleaning services in Cheltenham and all surrounding villages on a regular cleaning basis or one off cleaning.
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