Adventslieder und Gedichte für Senioren

What is “Nikolaustag,” and how is it different from Christmas?

This clip’s songs and poems are for December 5th, the eve of Nikolaustag — a full nineteen days before Christmas Eve. On the night of the 5th, children set a boot outside the door; by morning, Nikolaus has filled it with sweets. He’s a distinct figure from the Weihnachtsmann (the Christmas-Eve gift-giver most similar to Santa), even though both wear a red coat and a white beard.

The tradition honors Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century bishop, and predates the commercialized Weihnachtsmann by centuries. Martin Luther, uneasy with the Catholic veneration of a saint, tried to shift December gift-giving toward Christmas Eve and the Christ child instead — part of why Germany now marks the season with two separate visitors instead of one.