I've been invited to a St. Nicholas party with my daughter, but I'm not sure what the tradition on this day is - can anyone help? And should I take a present?

Thanks!

This is a bit unusual to throw a party for St. Nicolas, but it is traditional to exchange a few gifts on that day - especially in the German speaking part of Switzerland.

You usually give a little bag of mandarines and peanuts (the one still in their shell), with some sweets like 'sugus'. You'll find them ready-made in all shops (Migros, Coop), as well as little sof bread men, with a pipe indicating it's St. Nicolas. Yes, he smokes a pipe, don't ask me why You also eat 'biscômes' on that day, ie sort of gingerbread with a picture of St. Nicolas on it, also readily availaible in all shops.

Miam, I like St. Nicolas

December 06 - cool day for parents and kids alike. During the day you make or buy "Griitibanz" which are dough based bread-like figures and in the evening St. Nic and Schmutzli (plus donkey if you do this properly) come around and distribute small gifts (tangerines, peanuts, cookies). Schmutzli is slightly menacing as he would have traditionally schlepped off the naughty kids in his sack and is dressed in brown. Of course, these days that's pretty much illegal in Western Europe, so he acts as Nicholas's side kick.

As far as taking gifts, nuts, fruit, cookies and that sort of thing is the done thing, it's not a PSP3 or Wii event by any stretch of the imagination.

This next bit isn't for kids:

Towns usually have a Nicholas and Schmutzli roster so that all the volunteering dads can cover all the house calls on December 06 so that they don't end up "visiting" their own kids. We used to have good fun with this when the kids were younger. Like any tradition, kids wise up by about 10, so it ceases to be anything special once the magic has been aired.

Traditions vary

From what you say it seems its a kids party, that probably means Father Christmas (St Nic) will visit with his sidekick (name varies) and give the kids treats (sweets, nuts, fruit, etc).

If you go into any supermarker you will see bag, stocking etc for with stuff in for the 6th.

It's fun.

Almost everywhere you go will see bowls and bags of goodies to eat, and the entire nation get stuffs itself, as I said great fun.


If you are not familiar with our traditions, you also might not know that we give our present on the evening of the 24 Dec.