Never heard of this tradition, but it sounds exiting! Where does it come from?
Hanna | Homepage | 12.06.05 - 3:24 am | #

Yeah, I think I remember something from grade school but I don't recall now--I seem to remember something about putting food in shoes...
???
Please enlighten us!
Snowbear | Homepage | 12.06.05 - 3:53 am | #

For Snowbear and Hanna----from Amy's mom via email.


Many European countries exchange gifts on December 6, St. Nicholas' feast day. There are several web sites that explain the Christmas customs of different countries.

In Germany, the 6th of December is a special day:

...There's a special tradition all over Germany on December 6th. [On] the evening of December 5th you put your cleaned (big) boots outside the house in front of the door (or inside). Some people also put a plate there or on the windowsill. The bread in the plate is for the white horse of Santa Claus ... In the morning you see that Santa Claus really was at your house and put nice things into the boots or plates, e.g., all kinds of nuts, oranges, apples, sweets, chocolate, small presents ... But if you [weren't] well behaved the whole year you only get a switch so that your parents can punish you, but they don't!
Kristine and Wiebke, Germany

Holland (This is were we get the name Santa Claus, Sint Nikolaas, Sinter Klaas)

On St. Nicholas Eve, (5th December) children leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinter Klaas's horse, they will be left some sweets. Children are told that Black Peter keeps a record of all the things they have done in the past year in a book and that good children will get presents from Sinter Klaas, but bad children will get chased by Black Peter with a stick!! Dutch tradition says that he lives in Madrid, Spain and every year he chooses a different harbour to arrive in Holland, so as many children as possible get a chance to see him. Every town in Holland has a few Sinter Klaas helpers, dressed the same as Sinter Klaas who help give the presents out.

This is a good site to find out about the Christmas season around the world.

http://www.whychristmas.com/cult...s/ holland.shtml
amy | Homepage | 12.06.05 - 8:22 am | #