St. Nicholas of Myra

St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop in the 4th century that lived in Myra part of the Byzantine Empire. He was born March 15, 270, and died December 6, 343, living a long life of 73 years, for the times. He was known to give to the poor. One of the legends about Nicholas tells a story of three sisters without dowries, whose father was about to sell them into prostitution, a common practice at the time. When St. Nicholas found out, he provided three bags of gold for each of the girl's dowery. He was also known for his saintly protection of children. There is a miraculous but gruesome legend of the three boys that St. Nicholas saved, illustrated in Medieval cathedrals on stained glass windows, frescos, and even tapestries. As the story goes, there was a famine in the country, and a butcher kidnapped three street children, killed them, and pickled them in a barrel. He was just about ready to sell them as ham when St. Nicholas realized what the butcher was planning. The Saint made the sign of the cross over the children, and they were resurrected and set free. St. Nicholas was the patron saint of children and widows, pirates, thieves, barrel makers, fishermen, butchers, meat packers, virgins, merchants, archers, pawnbrokers, harbors, and sailors. He is considered a Guardian Saint of Russia, Austria, France, Germany, Norway, and Greece. He is also the Patron Saint of Liverpool, Moscow, Amsterdam, and Lorraine, France. St. Nicholas was a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church Assembly of Saints. His relics were housed in Myra. His bone was known to exude clear rosewater like substance that they called manna or myrrh. The miraculous liquid was collected once a year and used for blessings. St. Nicholas became well known to crusaders on their way to the Holy land, and the story of the Saint was spread through Europe by the Crusading Knights. After the split with the Roman Catholic Church from the Church of Eastern Orthodox, there was unauthorized removal of St. Nichola's relics. Bari's sailors removed his relics from Myra and brought them back to Bari, Italy, where they built the Basilica di San Nicola. The Turks and the Eastern Orthodox Church called their act thievery. But in-spite of the dubious circumstance of the removal of St. Nicholas's relics, they found that his bones still excreted the holy myrrh liquid. Thus, this is why St. Nicholas became the Saint of pirates and thieves. It was from the Basilica in Bari that his relics were scattered across Europe to promote his cult. Small fragments of his bones were spread by knights and given to counts and nobles that later became enshrined in cathedrals and chapels. It was because the Saint's relics were shared so far and wide over Europe that St .Nichola’s life story began to blend with the pagan myths and pre-Christian Festivals, more than any other saint. The Greek sailors saw him as the Christian Protector of Storms, taking on the job of Poseidon of the Sea. One of the miracles that St. Nicholas performed was during a famine in Myra in the years 311-312. A sailing ship filled with the wheat of the Emperor of Constantinople was docked in Myra's harbor. Bishop Nicholas ordered the sailors to unload some of the grain to give to the poor. He reassured them that no harm would come to them for doing such a charitable act. The sailors followed the Saint's request and then delivered the remaining cargo to the Emperor. When it was time to weigh the wheat, to everyone's surprise, they found that the cargo weighted exactly the weight when they began their journey. There was no loss of weight in-spite of sharing the grain. This gift of grain given to the poor lasted two years, plus they had enough seed to grow an abundant harvest. Thus St. Nicholas becomes the Saint of sailors, fisherman harbors, and wheat harvest. The countries of Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Holland, and France all adopted Nicholas weaving their older folk traditions into his story. The Germanic people blended St. Nicholas with the persona of the God Odin. In Finland, he was known as Joulupukki. He rode a goat and delivered presents to children during the Midwinter Festivals. The Dutch and Belgiums gave the Saint the title Sinterklass, which is the root word of his present-day name "Santa Claus”. England called him Father Christmas, and in France, he is still known as Pere Noel. His feast day was celebrated on December 6, in some countries, or celebrated on Winter Solstice. His transportation mode to deliver children's gifts could be a white horse, a goat, or flying reindeers. Anthropologists from a few different universities have a theory that Santa's flying reindeer came from Northern Europe's Shamanic traditions. The hallucinogenic mushroom, known as Amanita muscaria, red with white dots, only pushes up during the last parts of the year and are eaten by reindeer. The reindeer herds migrate through the northern climates of Siberia, Russia, and the Scandinavian countries. Reindeer meat was the food of the ancient tribal people. Tribal shaman, dressed up in red and white clothing, incorporated eating the mushroom into their Mid-winter healing practice. The sensation of flying was part of the side effects of this hallucinogenic mushroom. Santa's red and white suit, flying reindeer, and living in the cold North Pole might be the root of these tribal traditions. Amanita muscaria is considered a toxic mushroom, something I would not suggest to try at home. During the Christian reformation, Martin Luther removed the veneration of Saints and the Madonna from the Protestant religion. St. Nicholas Day was no longer celebrated on December 6, but Luther focused on the Christ Child and the Wise Men giving gifts. During the 17th century, English Puritans and the Dutch Calvinists barded Christmas celebration all together because of its Pagan roots. I am sure this included St. Nick's reindeer let alone his flying goat. But it was the early Dutch settlers of the Hudson Valley in New York, who brought their traditions from Holland that shaped the American image of Santa Claus. The Dutch children left wooden shoes out, filled with hay, for Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, the shoes would be magically filled with sweets and small toys. It was in the 1800’s that newspaper columnist’s published both poems and stories of Santa Claus. The most famous being in the Troy Sentinel of New York, who published an anonymous poem, “The Night before Christmas”. It was this renowned poem that the American image of St. Claus was born under and later, children books, poetry and those classic Coca Cola adds created the commercial icon that we know today as Santa Claus. This brings me back now to the original Saint Nicholas of Myra, who feeds the poor, protected children and women, calmed the seas, and multiplied the wheat. The generosity of St. Nicholas is an authentic example of how each of us should remember how to live, not only during the Christmas Season but also every day. The following Novena can be done for children, women, or widows, for abundance, for protection at sea, child abuse, and during the Christmas season to serve those who are less fortunate.

St. Nicholas Novena - This Novena has been adapted from a litany to St. Nicholas. Holy Saint Nicholas, hear me. Holy Saint Nicholas, please guide me. Holy Saint Nicholas, intercede for me that I may receive The Grace of God. Be my guide. Come to my defense. Guide my soul. Amen. State your intention and prayers. …………………………………………… Say for nine days in a row. Say three Hail Marys after saying the Novena to seal the practice.