The Feast of St Nicholas is celebrated in many countries on December 6th ( the day of his death)although celebrations may begin on December 5th. St. Nicholas was a bishop in the 4th century . He was born in Turkey around 270 AD . St Nicholas was born to wealthy parents who died when he was still young. He gave away his entire inheritance to the sick, needy and poor. He devoted his life to serving God. He was known for his generosity, love of children and concern for sailors.
Shoes are often left out for St. Nicholas to fill with small treats like candy . Did you know that the candy cane comes from St. Nicholas? It represents his staff.
Another tradition in Belgium and The Netherlands is St. Nicholas/ Sinterclass cookies. They are made a cookie cutter/ or wooden cookie mold to look like St. Nicholas I was able to taste and buy some on my trip to Brusssels a couple Christmases ago. They are absolutely delicious. They are known as Speculoos cookies . If you have ever flown Delta and had a biscoff cookie, those are Speculoos cookies. I will post a recipe separately.
