Celebration of St. Nicholas: Values for children and adults in Amstetten

Celebration of St. Nicholas: Values for children and adults in Amstetten

In the Amstettner Herz-Jesu Church, a special event will take place on December 8th. At 9.30 a.m., the parish invites everyone interested to a trade fair where Saint Santa Claus will be visiting. This tradition is not only very popular with children, but is also intended to convey important values such as charity and solidarity.

The Catholic crowd emphasizes that St. Nicholas can be celebrated independently of religious belonging. His role model for social actions inspires people of all ages and extends over different cultural contexts.

Saint Nicholas and his legends

Who was St. Nicholas actually? In the 4th century he was Bishop of Myra, which is in today's Türkiye. Nikolaus, who was born as a child of rich parents, is said to have distributed his assets among the needy. His legends are numerous and fascinating. One says that he brought three murdered students back to life, while another tells that he secretly gave gold for three girls to keep them from a dark fate.

These stories have led to Nikolaus considered the patron saint of the children. In representations you can often see it with a Bible, three golden balls or a golden bag, which in turn underlines the meaning of his legends.

from the children's bishop to today's celebration

Another interesting aspect is the tradition of the "children's bishop", which has its origin in the Middle Ages. At that time, monastery students chose a children's bishop on the eve of the Nicholas Day, who symbolically took over the rule of adults for one day. Dressed with a miter and the robes of a bishop, he "visits" the monastery school and had the task of blaming or rewarding - often with sweets.

The Amstettner Salesians emphasize, however, that today's celebration should announce a happy message. It is about bringing the children joy and reinforcing them in the values of St. Nicholas.