A couple of weeks before Christmas, during the night between the 5th and 6th of December, Romanian children, but also adults, clean their boots until they shine, because they wait for Santa Claus’ close collaborator, Saint Nicholas, who would also bring them gifts.

Saint Nicholas’s figure is surrounded by legends and only a few historical facts are known. He was born in the Middle East in a wealthy family, in the IVth century and he was cardinal of Myra (located on the territory of modern Turkey). When he inherited his parents’ fortune, he used it to help the poor and unhappy.

There are many stories about his fine deeds. One of them is that about three sisters, who were so poor, that it would have been impossible for them to get married, because they had no dowries. When the first of them reached the appropriate age, Saint Nicholas (a cardinal at Myra that time) left a bag full of gold coins on the threshold of their house. The same thing happened when the second sister was old enough to get married. Their father was very curious to find out who their mysterious benefactor was so hid himself outside the house when the youngest girl reached the age. He saw Saint Nicholas dropping a bag of gold on the chimney into a sock drying at the fireplace. The saint asked him to keep the secret, but the father was so grateful, that he couldn’t help telling the others. From that moment on, everyone who received an unexpected gift thanked Saint Nicholas for it.

Another legend recounts how the saint made a journey to the Holy Land and decided to return by taking a ship back to Myra. A terrible storm started and the sailors were sure they have met their doom, but Saint Nicholas prayed and the clouds scattered. Since then, he became the protector of sailors and travelers.

Another story explains how he became the protector of children and pupils. It is said that there were three young theologians who were travelling to Athens to complete their studies. They stopped at an inn and they were robbed and killed by the owner and their remains were secretly buried. Not long after, Saint Nicholas came to this inn and, at night, he dreamt about the crime and forced the inn-keeper to confess and reveal the place where he had hidden their remains. Saint Nicholas fervently prayed to God and the three were resurrected.

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