BY THE BOOK

 

SAINT MIKULA and SECRET GIVING - THE SAINT NICHOLAS CENTER

SAINT NICHOLAS CENTER _ THE REAL SAINT NICK  This article tells the true story of the man who provided gold as the dowries for a once-rich man's daughters, and sparked the tradition of SECRET GIVING.  He didn't become the fat and "jolly' Santa Claus for centuries. But the custom of secret giving spread through medieval Europe.

KRAMPUS IS COMMING TO GET YOU!

One of my Hungarian aunts told me that one  year her sons were so bad that Santa Claus came and took the toys back...but maybe it was Krampus who snuck into the closet and took them away?

SAINT NICK WAITING FOR YOU TO GO TO BED

BIRDS NEST AND MISTLETOE

 

HUNGARIAN CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS : EMBROIDERY and CRAFTS

The other day I was shopping for HUNGARIAN or HUNGARIAN INSPIRED Christmas ornaments - decorations for the tree, the "Christmas Tree" that is a tradition that came from the Northern European countries and from Pagan tree worship but which is popular in most European countries as it is in the United States. 

I found  many selections on line that are in the category of patriotic flags, flag colors, and Hungarian sayings.

I wanted something more traditional, and I think that means Hungarian embroidery; hearts, roosters, cats, boots, angels, and pigs, owls, even dogs - devil dogs, all embroidered colorfully on cut out shapes made of felt. I understand that a slang term for this type of ornament is MATYOS after the ethnic people, you could say a sub-group of Hungarians, who perhaps most excelled in the art and lived mostly in the Abauj-Torno- Zemplen counties which are today up against Slovakia. (You see this embroidery on folk costumes (clothes) too.)

Although I'm not too experienced with embroidery, I was introduced to it as a child and believe that I could make one or two ornaments of felt in the same spirit.

CLEVELAND HUNGARIAN HERITAGE MUSEUM PRESENTS CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

TIME TO WRITE YOUR LETTERS TO JESUS !

Linking here to the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum's information on Christmas Traditions in Hungary. Christmas remains a religious holiday, not taken over by Santa Claus! (This image is from their web page!)

DECEMBER SIXTH IS MIKULUS DAY (SAINT NICK VISITS THE CHILDREN WITH GIFTS)

On DECEMBER 6th in Hungary, children anticipate a visit from Saint Nick, put their boots out for him to fill with sweets - nuts and fruits, small toys, and maybe a "switch," indicating that perhaps they have not been so good and deserve to have their rear ends hit with this. 

To Americans who are sensitive to child abuse this can seem cruel in itself but I think many of us were hit by parents when we were children who had been hit by their parents as well. 

Saint Nick has been tipped off by the parents as to if their child has been "naughty or nice" and so some children get both the switch and the gifts.

SAINT NICK - ONLY THE BRAVEST CHILDREN SPEAK TO HIM

ONLY THE BRAVEST CHILDREN CAN GO UP TO SAINT NICK and speak to him. The rest await his visit as they do here in the United States, to be early with anticipation. He brings small gifts for them.

This illustration courtesy of Dover Publishing is interesting to me because in Saint Nick's pouch there looks to be a gold star of David, the symbol of Judaism.