It happens on the night of Dec. 6 in Catholic areas of the country and is supposed to commemorate whatever bishop or saint Dec. 6 (Nikolaus) commemorates. What's supposed to happen is that all the kids studying for confirmation dress up, walk around the neighborhood, ring doorbells and sing carols. They are then rewarded with candy.
What actually happens is that about half of all the kids in the neighborhood dress up but every one of them (Confirmation or no) all ring, sing and receive. Since we were in deepest, darkest, Catholic Germany the weekend of Dec. 6, Cy and Martha got to participate. They were happy to dress up but their cousins refused. Though I've never done Halloween with my kids, this felt exactly the way Halloween felt. We hung back while the kids did their thing. Some people would ask the kids who they were and where they lived while other people just listened to the song and handed out treats.
Most of the houses went to some trouble to put together little treat packets with gingerbread cookies while others just wrapped up a couple euros in napkins.
Sabine and her brother wouldn't let me offer to sing in exchange for a bottle of beer or a quick nip of schnapps.
They still don't think I was serious.
Labels: christmas, Life in Germany, Nikolaus
