HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-12-21, Page 31Christmas
BY JANE DEVRIES
The birth of Christ is celebrated in
mu7 countries on the 25th of
Decembei, some have Santa Claus
coming at the same time. In
England, it’s Father Christmas,
Canada has Santa Claus, and
Holland has St. Nicholas.
TotellaboutChristmas in Holland
cannot be done without telling about
St. Nicholas day for they are not
celebrated on the same day, as is
done in Canada.
St. Nicholas arrives on December
5. As the story goes, in olden days,
there lived in Spain a bishop named
St. Nicholas. His birthday was on the
5thof December, and because he
loved children very much, he
presented all the children in the
village with a small gift on that day.
When he comes to Holland he
comes by boat, for that country has
many canals and lakes. He always
brings one or more helpers, called
Black Peters.
Black Peter carries a large bag
filled with presents, but when he
finds a bad boy or girl, he puts them
in the bag instead, and they are
supposed to be taken to Spain. Most
children behave very well before the
5th of December for fear of being
taken to Spain.
St. Nicholas is not like Santa
Claus, a jolly, chubby man, but a
stately, friendly person, wearing a
long red rob and a red mitre with a
golden cross, and in his hand he
carries a long staff or cane. He has a
long, white beard, wears white
gloves and stockings, shiny black
shoes, and is often seen riding on a
white horse, visiting hospitals and
schools.
On St. Nicholas eve, small
children put their wooden shoes near
the chimney, with hay and carrots for
the horse; they sing some songs for
the good old Saint before going to
bed and dream of all the goodies they
are hoping to find next morning.
For the older children and par
ents, it’s a real family night. Weeks
before the fifth of December, parcels
are put secretly in a big bag or
basket. Everybody seems to be able
to write poems or little rhymes
around that time. Lots of funny
articles are wrapped up and put in
the bag.
On St. Nicholas eve there will be a
knock at the door and a black hand
will put the bag in the hall. Then the
fun starts: there is something for
everyone and the rhymes are to be
read out loud, which creates lots of
laughter.
After admiring the presents and
cleaning up the papers, chocolate
milk is served and a kind of pas try
with almond filling inside, also
cookies and chocolate letters.
Next morning the little ones find
their presents, which Black Peter
has put there, coming down through
the chimney in the night. It’s the
highlight of the St. Nicholas celebra
tion, for little children really believe
Play safe
Poorly maintained and ill fitting
winter recreation equipment can
cause serious injury and sometimes
even death.
Skis and skates must fit correctly
and all sports equipment should be
carefully examined for damage or
excess wear before each outing.
Watch for broken or worn ski
bindings, cracked skis or toboggans,
loose runners on sleds or imporperly
fitted hockey equipmemtn.
Check ice thickness before skating
on a frozen pond, river or lake. Ice
should be a minimum of seven-and-
a-half inches thick before considered
safe. When the snow is scraped
away, the ice should be a clear blue
colour. Always wear correctly fitted
skates.
When tobogganing, make sure
your run is free of obstacles such as
stumps, rocks, trees and benches
and away from the road. Keep
enough distance between sleds to
avoid a collision.
in Holland recalled
in the goodness and love of the Old
Saint.
After this, stores are getting ready
for Christmas. Decorations are put
up and bakeries have wreaths
made of butter pastires, filled with a
mix of almonds, sugar and eggs and
decorated with red and green
cherries and more kinds of sweets
like sugar hearts.
Since presents have been ex
changed at St. Nicholas Day,
Christmas day is strictly religious.
Church bells are ringing in the
morning as people go to Church,
where a huge Christmas tree
spreads its light through the win
dows. The star at the top seemed to
us just as bright as the star the
shepherds saw when Christ was
born.
In those days we had real candles
on the tree, but for safety a pail with
water was put beside it and a long
stick with a sponge at the end, so if a
candle started sputtering, itcould be
put out.
Children sing Christmas Carols,
the minister or his wife told a
Christmas story and sometimes
there was a Christmas play. All the
children received an apple, an
orange and a book with Christmas
stories and songs. Walking home
after a night like this, 6ne couldn’t
help but think of the Babe in
Bethlehem born in a stable, for there
was no room for Him in the Inn.
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 198S. PAGE 31.
, 4.
1
Belgrave
■ 7^ 1 »ms®
-f MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
Joyous tidings,
one and all.
ROQQ
ANDERSON
HARDWARE AND
ELECTRIC
Alan and Marjorie Teett with daughters Trisha and Meagan
Julie McCall
Shirley Wheeler
Season’s Greetings
from
your
friends
Tom Rushton John StettlerDwayne Evans
Jason Dietz
April Ten Pas
Lois McArter