St. Nicholas miracles: little known tales and legends

St. Nicholas miracles

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St. Nicholas is one of the most loved and honored saints in Bulgaria. The winter feast of the saint is celebrated on 6 December. In folklore the day is known as Nikulden or Fish St. Nicholas. In Radio Bulgaria’s Folk Studio we bring you little known folk tales and legends about the popular saint.

Folk songs portray St. Nicholas as a supernatural hero, and a proficient dancer too. He has wings and can fly anywhere; sees equally well during the day and at night. The saint is powerful enough to freeze the water in the sea. He constantly protects the seas from the maritime Judas who is busy sinking ships.

St. Nicholas is one of the six brothers who have parceled out the earth. He is described as the one who “walks on water, drives ships and halts winds”. In other legends he is brother to Varvara and Sava - East Orthodox saints whose feasts precede the Feast of St. Nicholas. One of Bulgaria’s most sophisticated monuments of late medieval art, the Boyana Church near Sofia, under UNESCO auspices, displays murals depicting scenes from the St. Nicholas passional. The frescos occupy the first floor of the church. The Director of the Boyana Church National Museum Mariana Trifonova says more them:

“One little known miracle performed by St. Nicholas is when he saved a family from poverty and disgrace, as well as the so-called Carpet Miracle. There was a family from the City of Patara in Asia Minor – a father with three daughters. All three were very beautiful. However, the father could find no money to make sure they would get married. So he decided to force them onto the road of fornication. At that time St. Nicholas served as an archbishop. The rumors about the wrong decision of the father soon reached him. One night he went to the home of the family and left there a purse with gold coins. The father used the cash to provide for the marriage of his eldest daughter. But then the money was gone, so he mulled selling into fornication his second daughter. The saint acted again, and left some cash in secret saving the father from sin. The father however could see the edge of the archbishop’s mantle, went after the saint, thanked him and repented. This legend has survived in a present-day rite, which is quite popular in Western Europe. Children leave hanging socks with the hope that Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) will place gifts in them”, Mariana Trifonova says. “The Carpet Miracle is little known too. There was a poor carpet-weaver who was sick and could not work for the livelihood of his family. The Feast of St. Nicholas arrived, and the family had nothing to celebrate it properly. They decided to sell the only fine thing they had – a magnificent carpet. The man went out with the carpet, and halfway to the market encountered a noble old man. The stranger said he wanted to buy the carpet, paid a high price and the two parted. The carpet-weaver went to the market, bought everything needed and returned home. His wife scolded him: ‘A minute ago an old man came and brought the carpet. How shall we celebrate the day now?’ she enquired. Then she saw that her husband had actually bought everything. Well, both of them realized that they had seen St. Nicholas himself whom they venerated so deeply.”

The two miracles of the saint that Mrs. Trifonova told us about have been recorded in his passional. The first one took place while he was alive, and the second one, after his demise. In 1259, scenes from the two extraordinary events were painted with exquisite realism on the walls of the Boyana Church. There are other tales and legends about St. Nicholas. One of the most amusing and instructive among them is about the popular saint and another saint commemorated on 29 February, i.e. once every four years: St. Kassian. He was a well-to-do landlord dressed up in lavish clothes smoking a pipe all day long. One day he decided to go to God and complain that his day was celebrated only once every four years. ‘God, is it fair, tell me? I am a saint and Nicholas is a saint. His feast is held twice every year – summer and winter St. Nicholas. And indeed it is held most solemnly. What about me? Nobody knows about my feast.’ God sent an angel to bring St. Nicholas to investigate into the case. The angel was back without the saint. ‘I found him at sea wrestling with the storm, saving ships and humans. He will come soon.’ However, it took him long time to turn up. He came saying, ‘Forgive me, God, for being so late! I fought with the seawater whirlpool threatening to sink ships and the humans on board. I prevailed, and saved the humans.’ When God heard his story, he turned to Kassian: ‘See? He fought with the storms and winds, he is wet and freezing allover, but he still saved the humans – this worked for him to make his feast so grand, not me. That’s it. While you sit on soft sofas, pipe in hand, even the humble feast that you have is too much!’ Kassian retired ashamed, and St. Nicholas was back to the sea where a new battle was to be fought. And humans continued to glory his memory with heavily laid tables abounding in fish, ritual loaves of bread and wine.

English version Daniela Konstantinova

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St. Nicholas miracles: little known tales and legends

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