On the evening of the 5th December, children across Slovakia are busy cleaning their boots – the bigger the better – in anticipation of a visit from Saint Mikuláš.
Bishop Mikuláš lived in the fourth century and was famous for his generosity, especially to children and the poor. The 6th December then became a holiday in his memory.
So all the good Slovak children can expect to wake up to a boot full of chocolates, sweets and fruit. However, Saint Mikuláš is always accompanied by the Devil and an Angel and the naughty children may be left only with cheeks marked with black coal – a little present from the devil.
Although my daughter should have awoken on the morning of December 6th with coal black cheeks, she actually found a mandarin, apple and banana at the foot of her cot. This probably wasn’t given a seconds thought by her at the time, but she did enjoy the Saint Mikuláš party she attended later that day!
Having danced with the older kids (the four and five year olds) at the children’s disco, she was presented with a big red bag of goodies by Saint Mikuláš, while his little devil helper duly marked her cheeks and nose with a little bit of coal!
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