St. Nicks

Happy St. Nick's Day everyone!

It was St. Nick's Day yesterday here in Prague. However, they do not pin stockings to their fireplaces and hope for candy, rather than coal, to appear the next morning. No, no. In the Czech Republic they go all out.

On the 5th of December, once night has fallen, angels and devils appear in the homes, apartments, and town squares throughout the country (really just hired actors the parents paid to come visit). The devils taunt and scare little kids, asking if they have been good girls and boys this year, while the angel reassures the kids as they are scared. If the angel and devil have decided the kids have been good, they are rewarded with candy, little cakes and fruit. However, if they have been bad they receive a potato!

So, in Prague this takes place in the main squares (Old town, St. Wenseslas and Namisti Miru...right outside my apartment!) I was studying in one of my favorite coffee shops on St. Wenseslas and as soon as 5:00 came around I started noticing kids with little flashing devil-horned headbands (with their parents of course) flooding out of the metro and filling the square. Of course I went to investigate!

I have never seen so many kids, and people in general, in one place! In addition to young kids and parents, there were pre-teens and teens wandering around dressed in angel and devil costumes. The devils would jump out and scare the little kids, but then the angel would quickly follow with a bag of treats. Apparently this little holiday is quite traumatizing for little kids!!

I finally shoved my way into Old Town. There is a stage set up next to a huge tree, as a part of the Christmas market, and little kids would hop up one at a time, talk to a devil and then receive treats from an angel. It was really cute! I could kind of make out what the devil was saying...he was basically asking if the little boy or girl had been good this year. The square was so jammed packed I got out of there as soon as I could!

I went back to Old Town again tonight, as a study break, and there was a children's choir singing Christmas carols on the stage. It was really nice just to stop and listen for a while. I took a video of it and will post it on facebook along with other pictures from St. Nicks day and the Christmas markets around town.