St. Nikolas Eve

Tomorrow is St. Nikolas Day!  This is not a major holiday observed in the US, but I've recently learned that it is a very special children's holiday celebrated with small gifts and a great feast in many European countries.

Children throughout Austria are preparing tonight by placing their boots outside their front door, or on a windowsill, and praying that they'll wake up tomorrow morning to boots full of oranges, apples, nuts, chocolates, and small toys.

You see, it is tradition that St. Nikolas and his sidekick, the Krampus, visit the homes of children on the eve of St. Nikolas and leave treats in the shoes of the good children and tree branches (Rute) in the shoes of the bad children.

Allegedly, the first two weeks of December are judgment weeks for children in Austria.  It is believed that the Krampus used to threaten and frighten the bad children in the first two weeks of December and especially on the 5th while St. Nikolas gave gifts to the good ones.  Today, young men dress up as Krampi and roam the streets and frighten children into behaving better with rusty chains and bells.  There are even parade-like events for the Krampi, called a Krampuslauf.  Um, scary!

Scenes from National Day & Meeting the President

As mentioned in the previous post, Wednesday was Austria's National Day.  And these Austrians, well, they celebrate their neutrality in style.  Despite the gloom and spitting rain, the first district was buzzing with citizens eager to meet their representatives in the Parliament building, shake President Fischer's hand in the Präsidentschaftskanzlei, and climb the tanks and helicopters on display in Heldenplatz.

President Dr. Heinz Fischer on National Day 2011

Naturally, we followed the crowd of umbrellas into the Parliament building where we toured the two chambers of the gorgeous Greek revival house and, to our surprise, we were also personally greeted by Barbara Prammer, the President of the National Council.      

 Waiting in line before the Parliament Building

Federal Assembly Chamber

 National Council Chamber

We moseyed our way through the Volksgarten from the Parliament building to the President's Chambers

The best part of the day, however, was MEETING THE PRESIDENT!  After touring the private rooms of the Präsidentschaftskanzlei in the Hofburg, we were warmly greeted by President Fischer and the First Lady Margrit in the Maria-Theresien-Zimmer. 

Touring the private rooms of the Office of the President

Allegedly, the professional photographer who snapped our picture shaking their hands is going to post said pictures on the President's homepage or Facebook page.  I've been checking both sites each day.  No pics yet.  The pictures are shared in this post. 

The festivities on Heldenplatz

Österreichischer Nationalfeiertag

Today is National Day in Austria!  The State Treaty of 1955, which ended Austria's occupation and restored the country's sovereignty, was signed in May of that year.  However, October 26 is the day that commemorates when the Soviet Union and Western troops left the country, and a constitutional law of permanent neutrality was enacted.  The Parliament building and all national museums are open and free to the public today!

Google's Doodle today (in Austria at least)

Fröhliche Nationalfeiertag!

Die Schultüte

Yesterday was the first day of public school for children in Austria!  And you'd have to be living under a rock not to notice.  The heartbeat of the city was pumping strong and the buzz on the street was more alive and energetic than usual.  I loved it.  I particularly loved seeing so many young families walking to school together with the little ones so proudly leading the way.  The first day of school is a very special day in Austria and Germany.  It would be a big deal to you too if you partook in the region's 200 year old tradition of die Schültute.

http://celleheute.de/gesunde-schultuten-fur-erstklassler/

The Schultüte (school cone) is a large paper or plastic cone which is filled with all kinds of sweet things and gifted to children on their first day of school.  These prettily decorated cones are filled with candy, toys, school supplies, and various other goodies.  (For my American readers, think Christmas stockings or Easter baskets.)  While often times handmade, prepackaged cones may now be purchased from local stores.

The old German tradition began in the early 1800s but apparently not much has changed since then  Although, in some parts of Germany, children used to have to pick their cone from a tree, but now children are simply handed the cone from their parents, grandparents, or godparents in the morning before heading off to school.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8725928@N02/

 
Can you imagine how sweet the anticipation must be the night before school starts in homes all over Germany and Austria?  I imagine it's something like the night before Christmas.  Children must be so excited to wake up and get going on the first day of school.  

Here's a YouTube video (in German) about how to make a Schultüte: