Saint Nicholas Day (Mikuláš)
 The
charming tradition of St. Nicholas falls on the eve
of St. Nicholas Day,
December 5th. If you find yourself walking the streets on that evening, you may run into a
group of strange characters: St. Nicholas (Mikuláš),
the Angel (anděl) who represents the Good, and the Devil (čert) representing the Evil. All wear costumes. Mikuláš looks a bit like
Santa Claus whose origin was supposedly inspired by
St. Nicholas. All three characters walk the streets, stopping
children and asking them if they were good
in the
past year.
Most kids say yes and sing a song or recite
a short poem. They
are then rewarded with sweets, candy or other
treats, which are handed out by the Angel. Bad kids
would be put in the Devil's sack and taken to hell,
or would only get a sack of potatoes or coal instead
of candy - of course it does not really happen!
 The eve of St. Nicholas is especially fun in Prague. Parents bring their children
to the Old Town Square where you can witness the tradition
roughly between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. In
small towns and villages, the three characters visit
people's homes. The evening of December 5 is
an exciting (and scary) time for children!
Children also
receive St. Nicholas presents from their parents
and relatives. The gift,
e.g. sweets
and
chocolates,
can be put into a stocking and hidden somewhere in
the child's room.
The St. Nicholas tradition
is supposedly based on a 4th century Greek bishop
named Nicholas who
is said to have left a gift of money on the windowsill
of
three
poor girls to enable them to
get married.
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