Here is a poem I found about St. Nicholas - Santa Claus - from Ireland. We are also of Irish descent and I had the good fortune to visit there this past summer so finding this had special meaning for me.
The Bones of Santa ClausWhere lie the bones of Santa Claus
To what holy spot each pilgrim draws
Which crypt conceals his pious remains
Safe from the wild wind, snows and rains.
It's not in Rome his body lies
Or under Egypt's azure skies
Constantinople or Madrid
His reliquary and bones are hid.
That saint protector of the child
Whose relics pure lie undefiled
His casket safe within it's shrine
Where the shamrocks grow and rose entwine.
Devout wayfarer, cease your search
For in Kilkenny's ancient church
Saint Nicholas' sepulcher is found
Enshrined in Ireland's holy ground.
So traveler rest and pray a while
To the patron saint of orphaned child
Whose bones were brought to Ireland's shore
Safe from the Vandal, Hun and Moor.
Here lie the bones of Santa Claus
Secure beneath these marble floors
So gentle pilgrim, hear the call
And may Saint Nicholas bless you all.
An Irish St Nicholas Folk Tale
For more information about St. Nicholas and how people around the world celebrate his feast day, go to the St. Nicholas Center website. There are lots of interesting things there.
And, enjoy the rest of the Virtual Advent Tour!
Happy birthday to your daughter!
ReplyDeleteAnd what a lovely poem. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for participating in the Advent tour this year, and for sharing this poem with us!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your daughter. I love that her second name is associated with this day. Very special.
Happy Birthday to your girl. I also used to celebrate St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6th before I moved to US. Thank you for sharing the poem, it was lovely.
ReplyDeleteAw, that's so sweet! Happy Birthday to her!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, and an awesome poem! So cool to read! Happy Birthday to your daughter! :)
ReplyDeleteI have three children with Christmas birthdays, crazy! Happy Birthday to your daughter. What a beautiful poem. Happy Holidays.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting! Come again anytime!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your daughter! The poem about St. Nicholas/Santa Claus is beautiful. I have an affinity for Irish things, too, being Irish on my mother's side of the family!
ReplyDeleteI hope your daughter has a wonderful & blessed year!
Happy Birthday to your daughter!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in with the Virtual Advent and Happy Holidays!
Happy Birthday to your daughter, and I really love this poem. It gives a real sense of the actual man who became a saint.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely poem. Thanks for sharing one that means so much to you.
ReplyDeleteI really like the St. Nicholas poem. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat was such a nice posting - a beautiful poem with a lovely personal connection.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your daughter, and thank you for sharing the poem!
ReplyDeleteI like that...and Happy Birthday to your daughter!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your daughter! I love how she was named for St Nicholas' day. It's a sweet sentiment.
ReplyDeleteMy son was born December 7, and he'll be turning 19 this year, so we have a similar family to yours! (He was named Daniel after Daniel and The Lion's Den, but I like your daughter's middle name and its meaning, too.) It's so fun to put one's shoes out for a little treat; we did that when we lived in Germany and celebrated St. Nicholas Day. A Happy Birthday to your daughter, and a blessed Christmas to you all.
ReplyDeleteI love the poem, thanks so much for writing about it! I am of Irish descent too, so I'm going to print the poem out and keep it. My daughter is born on Dec 24th, and the closer her birthday got to Christmas, the more I wanted her called HOlly. But it's too common in England (where my husband is from), so we decided to name her for my grandmother too, to make her name her own: Holly-Anne. It's busy having birthdays now, though I'm discovering it does add to the general merriness, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThank you all for coming to visit. It's so exciting for me as a novice blogger. I'm getting really excited for Christmas as I take the Virtual Advent Tour every day.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post and a great poem about Santa Claus. Santa Claus is called Father Christmas in Denmark and he is not associated with religion or saints at all here. More with presents and whether kids have behaved nice during the year ;o)
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post. I enjoyed it a lot. Its always a lot of fun to do the rounds of the Virtual Advent Tour.
I like your Christmas Countdown!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post--and the poem especially. I didn't know St. Nicholas was the patron saint of children. I think it is special that your daughter has a Christmas name. My son was born on the 1st of December. I brought him home in a Christmas stocking--but I didn't give him a Christmas name.
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