West Scranton German Classes Celebrate St. Nikolaus Day
Members and officers of West Scranton’s German club helped to celebrate St. Nikolaus Day on Monday, December 7 in the German classes of Ms. Jacquelyn Harris.
Germans celebrate Nikolaus on December 6, the feast day of St. Nikolaus, who was the precursor to the western figure of Santa Claus. Traditionally, children place their shoes outside the door on the evening of December 5, in hopes that Nikolaus will reward their good behavior with treats – candies, baked goods, clementines, or nuts. (In the past, bad children would be hit with a switch, or threatened by the darker counterpart to Nikolaus, the demonic Krampus!)
Students enjoyed authentic German products from Aldi, which is actually a German supermarket chain. They included Stollen – a raisin & marzipan sweet bread, Lebkuchen – gingerbread cookies, and Baumkuchen – an almond-flavored cake coated in chocolate. The classes also recited a Nikolaus poem and listened to some Nikolaus carols.
German club members in the photo are (L to R): left to right – RaeAnn Topa (Secretary), Jacob Dolinish (Vice-President), Jasmine Mailler (Treasurer), Gage Lewis, and Butchie Smith (President)