Santa's Little Helpers

Happy St. Nicholas Day (December 6th)!

Here he is in la belle France avec Pere Fouettard, a mad butcher/priest dude who will get you if you are naughty.  (Click link to see the French website where I found this cool picture.)

In Switzerland, St. Nick hangs with Schmutzli, a sooty, nasty dude who will carry you off in his sack if you don't watch out. (Click link to see Flickr with this great pic).

The devilish Krampus is part of Austrian (and other eastern European nations') winter holiday traditions that have merged with St. Nicholas Day and Christmas.  Krampus, which means "claw", is another bogeyman to make sure that the kiddies don't get out of line. Click here for more about Krampus.

In the Netherlands, Santa, known as Sinter Klaas, is accompanied by Schwartz Piet, an African helper in Renaissance style clothes.  Schwartz Piet is more of a friendly helper than a threat to kids.  (Click here for more on Sinter Klaas).

Have these kids been naughty?  Only Krampus knows.

Have a cool Yule!

Connecting to Literature: The "Aha" of Passover

Books have been a major influence on my thinking and some have changed my life. I was taught in library school that connecting to books and literature was the highest goal of reading. The use of books in counseling to foster mental wellness is called "bibliotherapy" and reading books and listening to stories have led to radical social change (think Gutenberg and Voltaire).

Today's topic was Passover at my church. I missed most of the service because I was teaching a Sunday school class. However, the bit that I did get to hear was about the connection between the Passover story in the Bible, which ends in the liberation and exodus of the Israelites, and the hopeful possibility it contains, that one day, all enslaved people will win release. The spiritual that we sang, Wade in the Water, reminded me of something that I think about as I go about Charleston looking at all of the beautiful old "pyramids" built by African hands; how the literary connection they made between those Biblical stories and their own situation of slavery became an impetus to push for freedom. Moses and the Egyptians was more than just a tale, it was an inspiration and a plan.

Books, and the stories and ideas they contain, are powerful things. Stories speak to us in the language of the unconscious. New ideas are like a strong wind to push us forward, sometimes to unexpected places. Literacy and freedom go hand-in-hand.