Happy Sami Chlaus Day

[Pamela Jo]

Betcha didn't know he's buried in Ireland. Every year this catches me unawares. The Big Swiss has been wrapping and stuffing things in boots since 5am. He's now waiting with AN Tic.......iPation for the rest of the household to wake. He gathered this mornings goodies at the Romanian shop, in Enniscorthy unawares to me. We shall break fast on chocolate covered plums, apricots and cherries, Turkish delight, halva and the Russian version of Panetone. The newly cleaned muck boots are stuffed with walnuts and clementines mixed with some charity shop jumpers and books. For those of you who don't know St Nicholas is buried in Waterford, Ireland... "Learn who was Saint Nicholas & St Nicholas in Ireland." I love the image of the Irish knights stealing the bones to bring them back to the land of the ancient Saints and Scholars. What if their ship had sank? Maybe like William Marshall they met a great storm. They threw one of Santa's tiny toe bones into the rampant waves, the winds quieted and the legend of Father Christmas was born.

 

[AgentPete]

Is he not buried in Bari? Or are there two...?

 

[Pamela Jo]

Is he not buried in Bari? Or are there two...?

There are 2 corroborative stories he was taken from Bari to Ireland. One story says by two Irish knights coming home from the Crusades, the other makes it by an old Norman family with lands in Ireland. There is a church with a crumbling gravestone carved with the heads of knight crusaders where local tradition has it the bones were reburied. A park has made some capital from tourists with the grave.

Tomb of Saint Nicholas - Kilkenny​

Review of Jerpoint Park
Reviewed 8 August 2020
When travelling back from Waterford to Dublin, we decided to take a short detour to Jerpoint Park to visit the tomb of Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus). We thought it would be a quick visit and take some photos but were delighted when Maeve the owner of Belmore House and grounds gave us a one hour guided tour. She was extremely passionate about the property which she purchased 14 years ago and has clearly dedicated a lot of time to its restoration. The facinating slab in the graveyard beside the church ruins has the image of Saint Nicholas, a Turkish Bishop, and 2 heads at the top reputed to be those of the 2 crusaders who brought the remains to Kilkenny in the 12th century. If you visit Jerpoint Abbey, a visit to nearby Belmore House is a must where you will receive a warm welcome from the O'Connell family.
Date of experience: August 2020

 

[Hannah F]

St. Nicholas maybe but not Santa Claus. Santa Claus is very much alive and feeding up his reindeer for their round-the-world midnight whizz!

 

[Dorm Ant]

He's had both his jabs then?

 

[Jonny]

More Santa differences of opinion

In Ireland (North) where I'm from, and like in most English speaking places he's called Santa, but South of the border he tends to be called Santy.

I prefer Santy. It make me smile every time I hear or see it written. You gotta stick with it to the end.

 

[Emily]

In Ireland (North) where I'm from, and like in most English speaking places he's called Santa, but South of the border he tends to be called Santy.

That is true. He was always Santy... Except when you were talking to your very foreign cousins from a cross the globe in England, and then he was Santa so as not to cause confusion.

 

[Pamela Jo]

For those parents out there with young ones- can you help a mother out?
"Our children keep finding their Christmas prezzies that I have hidden around the house... someone suggested I put them up the attic, so I did that last night..... literally had no sleep as all I could hear were them crying and moaning about spiders, the dark and wanting to be let back down etc

any other suggestions please??"