You should get some small toys and sweets ready for the Samiclaus visit tonight!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christkind
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The Christkindli appears on December 24 in the evening. It's Samiclaus and Schmuzli who appear on December 6...

Today is the 5th, too...

D'oh!

Our stockings won't be hung up for a couple of weeks. Also, if anybody tries to deliver presents that doesn't accompany the sound of bells and reindeer hooves they will suffer the consequences.

So is it tonight, the 5th for the sixth? Or tomorrow on the 6th?

Sami Chlaus and Schmutzli come tomorrow bringing kids nuts, tangerines, little choccies and lebkuchen.

Sami Chlaus, apparently, knows whether the child has been good or bad and reads from a big book. Tradition has it that Schmutzli will bag up the naughty kids in his coal sack and take them back to the woods with them to give a good thrashing with his stick.

He's currently under investigation by social services... (just kidding about that last bit.. )

We celebrate Nikolaustag tomorrow, tradition brought by my German OH, which I guess is similar to the Samiclaus tradition.

He comes during the night on the 5th, so sweets (or a piece of coal if you were naughty) are on the shoes/socks in the morning of the 6th.

Doesn't negate the big celebration and present flood on the 24th though.

So, is this article correct ?

http://www.swissworld.org/en/culture...and_christmas/

Advent is the period beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Eve, historically seen as the preparation of the arrival of Christ.



During the 19th century in particular, this waiting period before Christmas was viewed as a way of teaching children patience before a reward - hence the development of the Advent Calendar, a calendar with 24 little flaps opening onto windows with images within a Christmas scene.



Advent Calendars are very much a part of the Swiss Christmas tradition, as is the Advent wreath which has four candles, one for each of the Sundays in Advent (on the first Sunday, one candle is burnt, on the second, two are lit, and so on.
Christmas markets are held all over Switzerland during the Advent season.
Klausjagen

This tradition ("Chasing St Nicholas") takes place on December 5 in Catholic areas of Switzerland, most notably in Küssnacht am Rigi in Canton Schwyz.



This is in fact not a chase, but a torchlit procession. It is led by up to 200 men wearing long white shirts and carrying on their heads huge "Infuln", or mitres, made of thick cardboard and colourful transparent paper and lit by candles from the inside. These figures dance through streets, turning and bowing.



St Nicholas himself appears after them, escorted by several Schmutzlis (his dark-robed assistants). They in turn are followed by several hundred men (the Klausjäger, or pursuers) in white farmers' shirts and red neck ties. Some beat large cow bells rhythmically against their legs, others blow brass instruments or cowhorns. Yet more noise is created by the loud cracking of whips.
Samichlaus

St Nicholas (Nicholas of Myra, Patron Saint of children) is popularly called Samichlaus in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. He appears not on Christmas Eve or Day, but on December 6, when children awake to find the shoe or boot they put out the night before filled with mandarin oranges, nuts and cookies.



St Nicholas is accompanied by a character called Schmutzli on his visits to children, in particular in the central cantons. In contrast to the Patron Saint, Schmutzli usually is a rather dark and gloomy figure who carries a cane ("Rute") as well as the jute sack filled with presents.



Female characters take on a similar role in other parts of the country, such as Befana in the Italian-speaking southern canton of Ticino and Chauche-vieille in French-speaking Western Switzerland. In Ticino, children hang up stockings on night of January 5-6 (the word Befana is derived from Epiphany): "good" children receive sweets, while tradition has it that "bad" children find a lump of coal, or sugar lumps resembling coal, in their stockings.

Does anyone know where I can get some lumps of coal, please?

Don't know if this is joke or not, but Migros, Coop and the convenience stores next to the gasoline stations between my home and my work have them. Usually next to the garden stuff/ salt for the snow.

This vist by Schmutzli must be very traumatic for little children.

I've been traumatized after recognizing the village idiots who I've let into my home and are speaking to my kids.

Samichlaus and his Schmutzli were in Baden on Saturday, which I thought was strange. Usually he is there on the 6th, whether it is a weekday or weekend.

Hehe, not quite the moral authority I guess..

If in doubt, get a good friend of the family to take on the role of Samichlaus - they know the kids already and you as well as the kids will have some good memories a few years down the line..

All prepped at our place for tonight

In my home country we knew that on the 6th of December we would find sweets, oranges, nuts and other little gifts from St. Nicholas, but only if we behaved (strangely, I always got presents) and polished our shoes or boots. Seeing them dirty would make St. Nicholas angry and leave without filling them with presents. On the other hand, those kids who were lazy, ill behaved and so on will get some sticks (don't ask me what for)
As the times have changed, I bet he is under investigation now..

I met Samichlaus and his Schmutzli on Saturday night when I was invited to dinner with a family in Wohlen. Samichlaus was nice enough to do his whole presentation in English as although the family speak German and English, I only speak English. In that area I was told that Samichlaus and his Schmutzli make personal home visits that weekend, and then on the 6th all of the Samichlaus' and Schmutzlis in the area parade from the church. The kids were really excited and had learnt a poem and a song for Samichlaus and baked him some treats. Samichalus read from his book what he had told them the previous year and asked them how they did, then told them what they needed to do for the next year.....basically preparing them for a corporate life with an annual review and goal setting for the next year! They did well against goals and so their "annual bonus" was a couple of toys and some sweets, rather than coal. I must be doing well too as I also got some chocolate.....thank you Samichlaus! It was a nice touch to have the continuity and follow-up from the previous year.

I really enjoyed the half hour Samichlaus and Schmutzli visit and found it quite interesting. It was also really nice to be invited to see it as it's a Swiss tradition I probably would not have witnessed as I don't have kids here.

I saw Samichlaus and a few Schmutzlis in Einsiedeln yesterday. What suprrised me was that one Samichlaus was accompanied by a few (I think three or four) Schmutzlis. They were making their way through the crowded Christmas Market causing a sensation among children.

Dodgyken, you are very dodgy...are you sure you are not Australian!

Yes, the Samichlaus I met had 3 Schmutzlis (and an alter boy/acolyte?). It was a Catholic area so he was more like this, just less red. And the Schmutzlis were less Ninja-like.