December 24

[Zeke]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Yep, 17th. As for why I didn't tell you, the site was down that day, and the forums for several days thereafter. Thanks for the well-wishes.[/colorost_uid0]

[Nic Corelli]

[quoteost_uid0="catalina_marina"][color=#000000ost_uid0]I know the feeling. Sometimes, I don't even notice whether something is in English or Dutch.[/colorost_uid0][/quoteost_uid0]
[color=#000000ost_uid0]It appears that our continent has been assimilated by the English language...

"We are the English language. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. Resistance is futile". [/colorost_uid0]

[Nic Corelli]

[quoteost_uid0="Zeke"][color=#000000ost_uid0]Yep, 17th. Â As for why I didn't tell you, the site was down that day, and the forums for several days thereafter. Â Thanks for the well-wishes.[/colorost_uid0][/quoteost_uid0]
[color=#000000ost_uid0]Indeed... I`ve already forgotten about the forums downtime. You`re forgiven, then, And I have a birthday-Christmas present for you, in the form of a guest fiver... it`s in your inbox, [/colorost_uid0]

[Standback]

[color=#000000ost_uid0][quoteost_uid0]Yep, 17th. As for why I didn't tell you, the site was down that day, and the forums for several days thereafter. Thanks for the well-wishes.[/quoteost_uid0]

Zeke, if you think you can excuse your not-letting-us-know-about-your-birthday merely because you had absolutely no possible way of contacting us short of spontaneously evolving superhuman skill at globe-spanning telepathy, you've got another think coming.[/colorost_uid0]

[catalina_marina]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Well, he did tell some of us... At least one of us anyway. [/colorost_uid0]

[Standback]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Lord it over us, why don't you... [/colorost_uid0]

[catalina_marina]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]You see, what you need is ICQ, and the knowledge that Sinterklaas is on the 6th, and...

Oh. Sarcasm. Right. I get it. [/colorost_uid0]

[Zeke]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]What does Sinterklaas have to do with it? (Besides that it's my saint's day, or as close to one as I have.)[/colorost_uid0]

[catalina_marina]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Because it brought you to the subject. [/colorost_uid0]

[Zeke]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Ah yes.[/colorost_uid0]

[Nic Corelli]

[color=#000000ost_uid0][quoteost_uid0="Zeke"]What does Sinterklaas have to do with it? Â (Besides that it's my saint's day, or as close to one as I have.)[/quoteost_uid0]
It could be my saint`s day too... Sinterklaas - St. Nicholas - St.Nic...

Honestly, I can`t remember the last time my parents bought me a St.Nicholas present. I mean, just because I`m 20 doesn`t mean I no longer polish my boot and expect someone to creep in my room at night and put a nicely wrapped up present in it `cause I was a good kid for the whole year. I mean, really...

Zeke, I do hope you got a nice present... Did you?[/colorost_uid0]

[catalina_marina]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Wait, are you saying you celebrate St. Nicholas? Is it common?

I really thought it was a Dutch holiday. *Is confused*[/colorost_uid0]

[Nic Corelli]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Pheew... Just finished watching Enterprise on telly. "Detained" had its premiere here, tonight, believe it or not. Really liked the episode...

St. Nicholas... Oh, it`s common. It`s practically a national holiday in Croatia. ALL children get presents in the morning of 6 December... well, except of me, of course, Every elementary school (kids 7-14) has a St. Nicholas festivity.

The specific detail about Croatia`s version of this is that St. Nicholas brings presents for the good kids, and his little helper, a black elf of some sort is supposed to be bringing dry wooden branches to bad kids. The black elf is called Krampus, which roughly translated means "little demon." The kids are usually scared by this, parents telling them: "If you`re going to be naughty during the next week or so, you`re getting a branch from Krampus instead of a nice present from St.Nicholas." Well, Sv.Nikola, actually.

I remember when my sister accidentally noticed my mother pretending to be St.Nicholas and putting a present in her boot, thus realizing St.Nicholas doesn`t exist. She cried for hours, Similar to the reaction of children when they discover that Santa doesn`t exist too...[/colorost_uid0]

[catalina_marina]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]This is very interesting.

So only one helper, and he's an elf? Ours has a lot of helpers, all named after their functions (present Piet, poem Piet, etc). And they're not the bad guys, not at all.

So does he arrive on a steam boat from Spain?[/colorost_uid0]

[Nic Corelli]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Steam boat from Spain? Hardly... To tell you the truth, I think no one here knows where St. Nicholas comes from. The location of his headquarters remains shrouded in mystery...

Also, besides The Netherlands and Croatia, I have verified information that St. Nicholas is also celebrated in Slovenia and Hungary. You probably all heard of Hungary... while Slovenia is a tiny country between Italy, Croatia and Austria.

I think he`s called Sv. Miklavz in Slovenia. And God knows what`s his name in Hungary... the Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian languages are vastly different from all other languages in Europe.[/colorost_uid0]

[mudshark]

[quoteost_uid0="Nic Corelli"][color=#000000ost_uid0]the Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian languages are vastly different from all other languages in Europe.[/colorost_uid0][/quoteost_uid0]
[color=#000000ost_uid0]... except Samoyed. They are all non-Indo-European languages belonging to the Finno-Ugric (Uralic) language group.

No, I don't know what they call St. Nicholas, either. [/colorost_uid0]

[Zeke]

[quoteost_uid0="Nic Corelli"][color=#000000ost_uid0]Zeke, I do hope you got a nice present... Did you?[/colorost_uid0][/quoteost_uid0]
[color=#000000ost_uid0]Not for St. Nicholas' Day, but I'm getting a new clarinet for my birthday, and that's pretty expensive. New stereo for Christmas, too.[/colorost_uid0]

[Nic Corelli]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Woohoo! You must really love Decembers.

If you would move to the "official St. Nicholas celebrating zone" - you`d get a present on the 6th, 17th and 25th then. If you`re interested, my parents are soon moving out in a new apartment and I`m looking for a roomate, [/colorost_uid0]

[Sa'ar Chasm]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]The "original" St. Nicholas was a Bishop in what is now Turkey in the...3rd century? Round about there.[/colorost_uid0]

[catalina_marina]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]Third and fourth centuries, yes. But the Black Peters (I believe that's what Nan called them) and I suspect Krampus too, are not that old. And it seems Krampus is a predecessor of our version.[/colorost_uid0]