Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-12-25
JOLLY SANTA CLAUS.
PATRON SAINT OF CHILDREN IN
MANY LANDS.
Different Names by which He IL
known In Various COuntrtes-tn
Austria lie Has "a Servant who
Helps Garry Bundles - Naughty
Children Punished.

Christmas gifts are not so handsome
as the Easter presents.
He is known as Santa Claus in
Holland.
He is Samiklaus in Switzerland.
In Helgoland the children call him
Sonncr Klas.
In the Tyrol he is the Holy Man.
st. Lucy and the Christ Child go with
him.
In lower Austria his name is Niklo,
or Niglo, and his masked servant, who
helps to carry the bundles, is
krampus.
In the Vorarlberg he is Zcmmiklas,
and he puts all naughty children into
his bag and carries them Off
In Belgium the children polish
their shoes and fill them with hay.
oats and carrots for the saints white
horse. Then they place them in the
fireplace or i'll a corner of the room,
one of the saints favorite hiding
places. The door is carefully locked
and next morning everything is found
topsy turvy. The chairs and table
have been turned about, the horse has
eaten up the hay and left instead
sweetmeats and toys for the good
children and rods for the bad ones.
But there are very seldom any bad
ones at Christmas.
In the Netherlands the children
write to him and sing to him to let
fall from the chimney top something
into their white aprons. AS they
sing they keep time, swinging their
aprons back and forth.
Sunder Klass du code Bloot!
Breng' mi Moot un Zuckerbrod,
Nicht to veel un mich to mimi.
Smiet in mine Schorten in!
In Bohemia and Styria there are
Christ plays in every village during
Advent. St. Nicholas, dressed in a
long cloak, has a golden miter on his
head and a bishops staff in his hand.
He reads his report of how the
school children have behaved. Those
who play truant, loiter on their way,
forget their lessons, soil and tear their
books or forget their prayers are to be
beaten with his rod. Then comes the
Christ Child and says: GOOD
Nicholas, be patient! Spare the little
onesl Spare the young blood! For
give them this time, good Nicholas"
And st. Nicholas forgives them be-
cause it is Christ's birthday.
In Carniola the good bishop dresses
in sheet and wears a pillow-case on
his head instead of a inter. Then he
comes to see the children in their
dreams, and asks them if they always
say their prayers. Then he leaves
fruit for the good ones and rods for
the forgetful out of the big basket he
carries on his arm.
In Alsace the Christ Child himself
comes, dressed as a maiden, in white,
to bring the &c ood children sweetmeats.
With silver Pell in her hand and
lighted tapers as crown on her head
she fills the tiny wooden shoes from
her basket.
Then she disappears out of the win
dow VIII ffe she came in, and her bell is
heard tinkling as she enters the next
house.
In Suabia the Christ Child carries a
bell and an earthen pot full of gifts.
In Hanover, Mecklenbu-g and Hol-
stein the Christmas fairy is Clas.
In Poland the heavens are opened
and Jacobs ladder is let down for the
angels to come down with gifts for
good children.
In some parts of Austria candles
are placed in the windows to let the
Christ Child see the way.
Near Cologne the country children
90 round with cowbells in honor of
the manger of Bethlehem.
Three boys, dressed in white, with
leather girdles and crowns of colored
paper, march about and personate the
three kings of Cologne, who were
said to be the three wise men.
The first child left at the gates of
the Founding hospital at Lyons on
Christmas eve is laid in handsome
cradle and dressed in pretty clothes.
Bonhomme Noel brings the French
children sweets for their shoes.
Children in Lorraine must not sit
in the chimney corner on Christmas
eve because they intercept the draft.
In the country villages near Stutt-
CART aud Tubbingen the children on
the three Thursdays before Christ
mas shoot peas and lentils through a
pipe at every window. This custom
is said to date from the time when
the plague ragged and country friends
came into town to see if their relatives
were still alive. They threw handfuls
A. Lo,,.o onJ tho inmates