www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall St. Nicholas "Visit" Practices

Are there any special Carpatho-Rusyn customs regarding the "visit" of Saint Nicholas on or near his feast? Is there a customary gift given? I've seen some people give fruit, but I am wondering if there is something customary in the "old country".

Any input is appreciated!

Thanks!

Dave

This must be an Alex question!

A traditional St. Nicholas gift was an orange. But that comes from a time when cheap oranges weren't normally available year-round and in great quantity.

I remember as a kid we'd still get stockings at school (Chicago's now-closed St. Mary's) full of oranges and nuts. It made no sense in the mid-1960s and it makes even less sense today.

At home, St. Nicholas would bring small things: comic books, matchbox cars and the like, along with candy. It was enough to keep an obnoxious little kid from bothering his ma about what he wanted for Christmas -- at least for a few days.

If I can bore you with one little St. Nicholas Day story...

I remember when I was probably six or so. At that time, I hung my stocking at the foot of my bed. I was a pretty horrid kid at that time, and was warned about a stocking full of sticks and coal if I didn't clean up my act. I woke up in the middle of the night (I then shared a bed with my older brother) and crept down at the foot of the bed.

There was just enough light (from a streetlight) coming in the window so I could see into the stocking. At least I thought I could see. And all I could see was shiny black coal.

Well, I was scared to death. I went back under the covers, crying and praying, "please, St. Nicholas, I'll be a really good boy. Please come back and take the coal."

My biggest fear, of course, was having to tell about this the next morning when I went into school and sister asked us, one by one, what St. Nicholas had brought.

Eventually, I cried and prayed myself to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, the stocking was full of the usual little gifts, and I remember being as relieved as I was happy. And, yes, I thanked St. Nicholas for his generosity.

I told my mother about the coal and, of course, she acted like it had actually happened. She suggested that maybe I should learn something from what I "saw" in that stocking.

--Tim Cuprisin

Dear Rose,

It might be - if I were a Carpatho-Rusyn!

Do Boyko's count?

Alex

Bojko, Lemko, Hutcul... hey, even Ukrainian counts in this thread!

I'm just looking for ideas.

Dave

Dave,

At our parish, St. Nicholas gives out a small gift and a St. Nicholas cookie to each kid.

The cookies are a spice variety, hand-pressed with special wooden molds which result in a "pufferbelly" bust of St. Nicholas. The Ladies Guild will be making them on Dec. 1.

Somebody asked for the recipe - if I can remember, I'll post it next week.


Sharon

Tim,

Thanks for sharing you wonderful story. I could just imagine you doing that!

Alex,

but I am wondering if there is something customary in the "old country".

You are the one with all of the old country stories and informantion. So I just figured you would know.

Dear Rose,

O.K. - if you'll accept a good Boyko . . .

What we do is have St Nicholas visit a large group of kids, usually one of our Ukie schools.

I get dressed up as a real Byzantine Rite Bishop, with staff and prayer rope and pectoral Cross - you should see me in full dress uniform!

I'm flanked with Angels who then fight over who gets to hold my staff . . .

Last year, there was a girl crying on her mother's shoulder (everyone now: AWWWWW!).

I heard her say that St Nicholas loves all the children there, but not her . . .

I then waded through the sea of kids and went right up to her, placing my hand on her shoulder.

Then she slowly looked up and turned around to see who it was . . .

As soon as she caught a glimpse of St Nicholas, she was in such a SHOCK!

But she was overjoyed! St Nicholas does that to people, you know!

I then addressed the kids and told them that I had just come from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia where children don't have as much as they. If guilt isn't involved, it's not a true Ukrainian celebration . . .

And I told them that whenever they wanted to speak with me - I'm only a prayer away. I'd always hear them and let God know about their requests.

(Interestingly, after I got changed back into my "Alex" clothes, I was introduced as the fellow who was the St Nicholas - many didn't believe I was, for some reason . . .).

The next day I got a call from a mother whose child was at the assembly and who said that her daughter believed that St Nicholas really DID come down from heaven at their school.

It was the girl on whom I placed my hand that cried so much . . .

(Everyone now: AWWWW!)

Alex

Dear Mother Sharon,

Remember when I was taking you on a tour of the Legislative Building when you graced me with your presence some weeks back?

And remember the fellow I introduced you to as "our next Premier?"

Well, he really is the Premier now.

I told him, "See, I said you'd be the next Premier."

He smiled, and then asked about that lady he'd met with me.

He says, "hello!"

Alex

Hello back!


But if he wants a cookie, he'll have to come down here for it.


Hope to return someday. That visit was the high point of my trip - a delight.

PLEASE keep us posted on the job situation (and point a prayer toward Sick Kids - see "Prayer" - maybe local prayer carries an extra "oomph.)"

Sharon

Awwwwww.

This is the first year my church will be having St. Nicholas visit, and since I opened my mouth about it, guess who has to get all decked out? :p It should be fun, of course. My priest decided to tell the parents to purchase and bring a small inexpensive gift for their child/children, which St. Nicholas will then give to them. In addition, we will give each child an icon pin of St. Nicholas, and I am thinking of baking some Cross-shaped medovniki (maybe I'll say they're from my special bakers in the Carpathians... hehe).

Angel assistants? Interesting. I might have two of the older altar servers be my "subdeacons" for the event.

Any more stories/ideas/suggestions?

Dave

Dear Mother Sharon,

I look forward to it!

I also look forward to meeting the Administrator one day so that he can see I'm not so childish after all . . .

(I like to think I'm fun though!)

St Nicholas has been good to me and I'll be staying on in the legislature for a while longer yet.

As a matter of fact, until my repose, if I wanted to . . .

But I don't.

God bless!

Alex

Tim -

Maybe there really WAS coal in your stocking! Maybe your mom put it there, knowing you'd sneak a peek during the night... Or maybe St. Nicholas put it there to teach you repentance!

Tammy

OUr St. Nicholas comes with a bag of coins for the kids after dinner and play at church. Of couse the coins are worth their weight in gold, they are choclate!

SLAVA ISUSU CHRISTU!

Hi Chtec...

Well, traditional gifts in the "Old Country" were apples and cookies and nuts, it was kinda hard to get oranges, they're more of "old country Ohio-Pennsylyvania" thing...

In my parish, the ECF classes tell a story about St.Nicholas and all the good that he did for people and then sing O KTO, KTO and St. Nicholas comes in.

He proceeds to the Bishop's chair that has been set up at the front of the room. All of the children then come to greet him. They usually bring some sort of gift for him. Last year it was children's mittens which we gave to a shelter. One year it was items for an adult for a shelter for the homeless. Another year it was canned goods or dry goods for a food pantry.

Each child then gets a bag of coins, we usually use Channukah gelt as it falls around the same time. One year we found some Dutch chocolate coins with pics of St. Nicholas.

We also have a covered dish luncheon on this day so there is plenty of good food to be had for everyone!!

A word of advice, PLEASE re-consider having the parents bring presents to give to their kids from St.Nicholas. Some parents DO NOT UNDERSTAND the term SMALL PRESENT. We had parents bringing DVD's and ice skates and things like this and other parents brought coloring books and story books. It's REALLY difficult to explain why Alex is getting hockey skates and Chtec is only getting a book.

You may also want to have someone there with a digital camera or even a POLAROID to take fotos with St. Nicholas as keepsakes...

Oh, Sharon, where did you find the St. Nicholas cookie mold? I bought a St. Nicholas (as Bishop) cookie stamp years ago but could NEVER get the darn cookies to hold the stamp properly. It always baked away... :-(

Hope this helps...

mark