Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19
RUSSIANS HERE CELEBRATING
FEAST OF ST. NICHOLAS TODAY
ExiIes Marking Anniversary
of Nations Stately
Patron Saint.
But Day Has No Association
with Christmas for
Religious Sect.

One small group of Washingtonians
will celebrate the feast OF good old
ST. Nicholas today instead OF Decem-
Der rs.
To the members of this group the
mixture Of St Nicholas. Santa Claus
and Christmas is fantastic and out.
landish. They are the little gathering
of Russian exiles here who meet each
Sabbath at the Church OF st. Alex
ander, 1904 I street, and worship &C
cording to the colorful rites OF the old
Russian church.
The feast day Of st. Nicholas. the
anniversary of his death, falls on De
cember 6. Therefore it will be OBJ
served today for they cling still to the
old calendar which IA 10 days behind
the Gregorian calendar and which
has been given up by all other COM
munions of the orthodox church.
Later on they will have their Christ
mas and their Santa Claus, or Father
Frost, but he will have nothing to
do with ST. Nicholas and the emigres
can't quite understand how the two
have been mixed up so badly. For
to them st. Nicholas Is q very dign1.
fed figure, indeed, the patron saint OF
Russia, a great theologian and miracle
worker, and by no means the sort OF
a man who would climb down Chin
news to All little stockings one night
of the year and then retire to the
North Pole for the rest of the year.
The fantasy proved particularly
puzzling to Nine. Rimsky-korsakov'
niece of the great Russian COM
poser Tchaikowski, when she came
here to live with her daughter
and her daughters children at 452O
Stanford street, Chevy Chase. There
were two little grandsons, George ana
Basil, who kept Fostering grandma
with accounts Of the sleds, candy ana
toys st. Nicholas, or Santa Claus. was
going to bring them on December 20.
Customs Confusing.
But what do you mean. children?'
she asked rather sadly. Il do not un-
derstand. December rs is the Ameri'
can Christmas, Is it not? What has
that to do with Santa Claus or ST.
Nicholas?"
II thought, perhaps l was becoming
confused in my mind as grew older,
she said "I couldn't make anything
Of 1t"
But slowly the light began to dawn
on Nine. Rimsky- korsakov. Sne
found that George and Basil IN some
incomprehensible way had mixed up
st. Nicholas with the Russian fairy,
Father Frost, and that this Father
Frost had a curious habit of reward
ing little boys who were very good
for a month or so before Christmas
with all sorts of wonderful things.
But It all seems so strange to me
vet !" she said. "St. Nicholas and
Father Frost-Santa Claus ana
Christmas"
George and Basil. it is needless TO
say, do not see anything funny ABOUT
II and they hope grandma Will nave
the idea very clear in her head be-
fore next Saturday.
She. however, cannot be quite con-
WINGED that it is entirely proper 10
make a clown out OF the ola Dishop
of Myra, st. Nicholas, even WITH al
the beautiful Legendary of yuletide 70
take out of it any suspicion OF lack
of respect. ,, L., uho
learned of a quite different st. Mich
olas-and she learned about him on
the knees of Tchaikowski, who spent
great deal of his time with her
narants in a great Russian country
house. where he composed some Oh
his most memorable work. Inc one
thing. she says, which was closest 10
Tchaikowskis heart was the beauty
and Legendary of the old RUSSIAN
church--and after that came nature
He reveled in both and from both de-
rived his inspiration.
Sought to Tell Real Story.
90 when she learned of the peculiar
ideas of her grandchildren she set
herself to correct them by transiatlns
from her Russian church DOCKS the
story Of the real st. N1cnoias VINO
making allowance for the fact that
he ,nas a flesh and blood individual,
might not have mace SUCH d o"o
Santa Claus after all.
This bishop Of Myra in Asia Minor
was true to the type of the "hgnCng
no rson'' in Nine. Rimsky- korsaKoV
n;cture of him-an impulsiVe, rather
acrimonious theologian but a most
generous. kindly and lovable man:
He performed many miracles anu
ance indeed. emerged from his Dish
onric into the light of very well au-
thenticated history when, at the
Council of Mecca when the Nlcehe
creed was adopted, he became so vlo'
lent at old Arian who denied the aoc,
trine of the Trinity that he puncheo
him in the face. Utah
This put Nicholas in bad llgn1 win
the Emperor Constantine, VINO pr
s;ded at the Council, and he lost ms
b,shonric temporarily. But he got IL
hack again and for the rest or ms
iife fought most bitterly against an
haretics who were rich and powerful
q nd nrotected them with equal energy
S,,ban thew were thrown from their
high places and were poor and heip-
less.
Once Played Santa Claus.
Onca indeed. he actually played the
,.rt ~ santa Claus. There was a
ppo,.ain rich man of his diocese with
tbrea daughters. The poor fellow had
q nm IF bad luck and lost his fortune.
| This got him in dead wrong with the
| evils fo,. IL condemned them to be old
maids. They had their hearts set Oh
| three desirable fellows as husDands'
but with his money gone their ratner
could no longer raise the necessary
| dowries.
he was wreck. Then, JUST 10 sans
Tic GIRLS he decided to stage a holo
~ The bishop heard about the plar
h1, some means or other and deter
| ,,oined TO save the soul of his poor
n.risb,oner. On three successive
nights he sneaked up to the windo"
| nf the mans house and threw In q
bap of gold. The third night the
| beneficiary, as suspicious or SANTA
| CIaus as any modern 4.year-old, lay
in wait and caught the bishop at this
business. st. Nicholas, caught bare
handed in his holiness, had an EN-
barrassing time making explanations