It is the afternoon of December 6th. The air is cold and the sun disappears behind the trees. It’s time for the kids to meet up with their friends and go outside. Where are they going? They will visit all the businesses on the streets of their neighborhood. At each one they will stand and sing a traditional song or recite a Christmas poem. In exchange they will receive fruits, chocolates or sweets or Bonschen, as we say in Bremen.

This tradition is unique to Bremen. He began to honor Archbishop Nikolaus von Myra who died on December 6th, 327. Myra was a city that today is located in the province of Atalya in Turkey. There are many stories about him. In one of them he gave three gold nuggets to a poor man, saving his three daughters from being sold. On another occasion he saved his city Mira, from famine. Miraculously, he fed them for two years with the little grain that a ship left them. It should be noted that the ship’s cargo was delivered complete. This means that what they left for the people of Mira was also miraculously replaced. Another story tells us that he appeared aboard a ship during a storm. He spoke to lift the sailors’ spirits and guided them to safety.

In addition to the stories, he was a beloved man and became the patron saint of sailors, merchants and children. As Bremen is a city of sailors and merchants, it is natural that Saint Nicholas is honored here. The tradition is believed to have begun with a procession organized by the monastery and cathedral students. They choose one of them to be the «Nikolaus» and preside over the procession. During the procession they received food or small gifts from local businesses.

Nowadays it is a delight to see children running from one place to another and hear their sweet little voices. Here we leave you one of the poems in case you want to start a new tradition in your city:

“Nicholas, be our guest”

Nicholas, be our guest,
if you have something in the bag.
If you have something, settle down,
If you have nothing, grab something for yourself again!

If you ever visit Bremen and are interested in learning more about the city and its culture, please contact me. I will be happy to organize something special for you.