Samichlaus and Christmas Market

Yesterday was a full Swiss Christmas day for me. Today is officially Samichlaus (Santa Clause) day, but it was celebrated all weekend. We started with a ward temple trip (always an adventure in the Swiss temple) and then went with the kids into the forest next to the temple where we met Samichlaus. There, he got out his golden book, read each of the kids the good and not so good things they had done this year that he had written in his book, and then gave them a little pack with nuts, chocolate, and gingerbread. Samichlaus told one of the little boys (about 3 or 4 years old) that he had been a good boy, but that it would be a good idea to stop opening the Christmas presents at home before Christmas. (Parents give him a list prior to meeting.) Afterward, the little boy's sister asked, "How does he know all of that stuff?" Samichlaus also usually asks for something extra to earn your treat. This is usually a little rhyme or sometimes a song that the child has memorized and recites for Samichlaus.

After that, we went home where the city Samichlaus was making his rounds to the houses that had asked him to come. This is a really cool procession, and completely different from our American Santa Clause. Samichlaus, looks a lot more like a Catholic priest than a jolly, magical figure. Obviously this is closer to the real, Turkish "St. Nicholas." He's not chubby, not wearing red, and does not have a sleigh, reindeer, or a white beard. Personally, I was a little intimidated by this Samichlaus. He's not quite as jolly as ours, but it was still really cool to see.

So Samichlaus walks through the down going to different houses and has in his procession: a donkey, several helpers in white who either carry huge clanging black bells or whips that they crack all along the way, and several helpers dressed in black with black faces who carry Samichlaus' bags of goodies and help him with the kids. The black figures are called Schmutzli and come from a legend of a woodsman who helped Santa one year and has continued to do so ever since. The Schmutzli usually has a whip, and his hands are black. He marks the bad kids by smudging black on their faces, so a lot of kids are afraid of him. I've added a picture of one, and this one happened to be very nice. Andi and I felt like the paparazzi trying to get a picture of Samichlaus. Our flash would go off about 5 times before it got a picture since it was at night. A little embarrassing.

We did all of this on our way to the Christmas market, which was absolutely beautiful. This is a picture of the market we went to. It's in the oldest part of town and is just a romantic little open-air market filled with the smells of delicious sausages, raclette, and warm drinks. It was a wonderful date to just wander around, eating our sausages and trying to keep warm. So far this has proven to be quite a magical Christmas. If my family were here, it would be absolutely perfect. Andi and I are so lucky to have each other. Merry Christmas!