Let's Open The First Door Of The Advent Calendar!

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For the little ones the Christmas season starts on 1st December when they open the first door of their Advent Calendar (advent, from Latin = arrival, coming). They usually have some space between two sheets of cardboard (the upper one depicts a Christmas or winter scene) so that some chocolate can be put behind the doors. More modern versions are strings hanging on the walls or anything which might hold 24 little parcels. The four Sundays before Christmas are the so-called Advent Sundays. Whereas the Advent Calendar is for children, nearly every household has an Advent Wreath made of fir twigs with four, usually red, candles for the four Sundays. Although it isn’t forbidden to lighten them all at once, people don’t, they light first one candle, the next Sunday two and so on. December 6th is Nikolaus Day. I don’t know how Nikolaus or Father Christmas travel to Germany, certainly not by reindeer sledge, but how then? The means of transportation for the Christmas personnel is no issue here, what matters is that they arrive. How the presents reach the child is also unknown and not seen as relevant, either, in any case the chimney isn’t used, neither by Nikolaus nor by Father Christmas. The figure of Nikolaus goes back to a legendary bishop in Asia Minor who lived from around 280 to around 350, the exact dates are unknown. His first good deed was to throw three bags of gold through the window of a pauper who was so desperate that he was considering prostitution for his three daughters. With that dowry, however, he was able to marry them off to honourable men. Later the bishop performed some miracles, all in the field of charity. The Nikolaus German children love is also known in other European countries, the transformation of the historical into a mythical figure occurred in the 13th century in France. Sometimes Nikolaus has got so much to carry so that he’s accompanied by a servant with the name of Rupprecht. Whereas Father Christmas is quite an elusive guy, it’s not difficult to get into personal contact with Nikolaus. The town where I live has a Police Academy, together with the local newspaper they organise a Rent-a-Nikolaus-service in December. The parents call it and order a young policeman who dresses up as Nikolaus (very much like Father Christmas). When he rings the bell, they go out, give him about 10 pounds (the money goes to a local Charity project), the presents (small ones, Nikolaus Day is not a second Christmas) and a list with the vices and virtues of the children, the highpoint of the performance! First Nikolaus introduces himself with a poem, then he reads from his list, praising or scolding the children, using his switch if necessary (no modern pedagogics here!) depending on what he finds on the list, but always ending on a positive note and handing over the presents after listening to poems and songs the little ones have prepared for him. Very rarely does it happen that a child is really frightened and doesn’t reappear from under the sofa while he’s present!