Christmas and New Year

December is a month rich in beautiful customs and festive gifts. The first presents are given on the feast day of Saint Nicholas on December 6th. A story about Saint Nicholas goes that his neighbor had three beautiful daughters who could not marry because they were poor. They prayed for the salvation of their honor because their father wanted to sell them. After learning about this, Saint Nicholas decided to help them. He filled sacks with gold coins and lowered them down the chimney. These fell into the socks, which were drying over the hearth.

Another story goes that he lived in a forest next to a village with poor children. They only had one pair of boots that they cleaned and maintained. On the name day of Saint Nicholas they put them in the window in the evening. Saint Nicholas put a homemade wooden toy in each boot. When he got old and could not go to the village anymore, the mothers did not want their children to be sad. On the day of Saint Nicholas, they put in their boots what they had: nuts, apples, colored candies.

The joy of Christmas delights people in all the traditions we inherited from our ancestors. God gave himself to us by becoming man and by being born in Bethlehem he brought the joy of Christmas to the whole world. We celebrate Christmas with family, friends and all people of goodwill, bringing lasting joy to the whole world.

(Željka Šaravanja)