December, as the last month of the calendar year, is filled with various events, such as saying goodbye to the old year, plans for the new one, so there is no end in sight to the holidays and celebrations, the cities are dotted with lights arranged in all possible shapes and figures, shop windows are decorated with snowmen, snowflakes, colorful decorations and, of course, the good December man, who especially makes children happy, called Saint Nicholas, and in Slovenia Miklavž, a popular saint both in the Catholic and Orthodox calendars.
Saint Nicholas visits Slovenian children from December 5 to 6 in the evening. Therefore, around this date, I hae prepared very special extra teaching classes for primary school students, related to the celebration of St. Nicholas. We also read a series of legends about St. Nicholas with the older elementary school students and looked for similarities with the legends about St. Martin. After a strange set of circumstances, both of them became charitable and miracle-working bishops, benefactors and patrons of various groups of people. The students listened with great interest to how St. Nicholas became a good December man and how by the end of the year, two more, Santa Claus and Father Christmas, had joined him. Of course, the students were interested in who were Miklavž's companions, who are called “parkeljni” or elves. I explained to them in a simple way that the little devils around St. Nicholas are remnants of pagan times, when good spirits visited the earth during the long nights over the late autumn period, but later Christianity turned them into evil spirits from hell who accompany St. Nicholas and help him deal with naughty children. More recently, little angels have been added, which perhaps soften the image of the terrible monsters. With the younger elementary school students, we painted Saint Nicholas, an elf, and an angel, led Nicholas through a complicated maze to a cozy house where children were waiting for him, and learned a cute song about Nicholas. In Slatina, first graders also got to know Nicholas through a cute didactic game. Nastja and Srećko masterfully drew Miklavž.
I already hinted a little earlier that they will certainly be remembered by the Slovenian Miklavž, who really kept his promise and entrusted me with the very special task of gifting valuable students with additional classes in the Slovenian language in his name. I did it with pleasure for him (Miklavž was very busy, so I took on the role of the giver) and the grateful expressions on the children's faces confirmed to me once again an important thought in life that says that it is nice to receive a gift, but it is even nicer if you can give it to someone and make his/her day.
Metoda Perger
