stniche

Every year the children in Germany are looking forward to December 6^th. They are waiting for Saint Nicholas to visit them. Before they go to bed on December 5^th they clean their shoes and leave them in front of their bedroom doors. The next morning they find them filled with sweets and small presents.

St. Nicholas was a holy bishop who lived in the town of Myra in Asia Minor during the fourth century A.D. Though a biography doesn’t exist there are a lot of legends telling us about the life of this pious man who noticed whenever a human being was in distress and tried to help wherever he could. He was a special friend of children and young people.

Here are some well known stories about him:

The healing of the crippled arm

Nicholas once gave back to an elderly woman the full use of her crippled arm.

The rescue of a drowned boy

Once a small boy had drowned in a Russian river. His parents begged St. Nicholas for help. Out of pity for them Nicholas asked God for a miracle.

The next day the little boy was found on the steps of the cathedral of Kiev – alive and well.

The escape from prison

Nicholas once saved three generals who had unjustly been thrown into prison and were awaiting execution.

The story of the three golden spheres

In this legend the bishop of Myra helped a family with three daughters. They were so poor that their father was about to sell them to a landlord to save them from starving to death. Nicholas heard of their need and decided to help them. He took three bags filled with gold and threw them through a window into their living-room.

The heart of stone

A rich and greedy merchant once traded in his heart to Satan for even more riches. He received a heart of stone. But soon the merchant felt very lonely and abandoned. Nicholas noticed the loneliness and desolation of the merchant and advised him to share his riches with the poor. The man followed this advice and eventually the heart of stone melted and became a living heart again.

The carpet miracle

A pious couple used to celebrate the anniversary of St. Nicholas with special food and drinks. They had become old and poor. All they had left was a beautiful carpet. But in the end the husband was to sell the carpet to provide for the meal. Soon he found a buyer and so he went to get everything that was needed for the celebration. When he got home he nearly fainted – for the beautiful and much loved carpet was back in its old place. The buyer had taken it back to the wife. Suddenly the couple recognized the buyer of the carpet – Bishop Nicholas.

The miracle of the grain

This is probably the most famous story about St. Nicholas. The town of Myra once was in the grip of a cruel famine. When a boat full of wheat that was headed for Rome entered the harbour of Myra the holy bishop asked the captain for grain. But the captain refused to hand out.

St. Nicholas promised that not a single bit of wheat would be missing when the boat reached Rome. The captain relented and the crew carried the wheat into the town. When the grain was weighed in Rome it was found that the correct amount of wheat had reached the town. The wheat saved Myra and everybody was full of praise for St. Nicholas.