Ethnologica Dalmatica, Vol. 22 , 2015.
Original scientific paper
Bishop Saint Nicholas In Croat’s Hagiographic Heritage
Marko Dragić
orcid.org/0000-0001-5362-6814
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu Izvorni znanstveni članak
Abstract
Life of Saint Nicholas has been accompanied by legends ever since he was born. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children, seamen, unwed girls, paupers, students, pharmacists, bakers, fishermen, candle makers, masons, merchants, weavers, prisoners, passengers, sick and dying people. Saint Nicholas feast day in Croats’ hagiographic heritage is characterized by presentation of gifts to children, Saint Nicholas’ processions (Nikolinjski ophodi) – visitations by a person dressed as Saint Nicholas in bishop’s robe with a stick and krampus (the Devil) with a basket, chains, a switch and similar things, so that they award good and punish naughty children, from one home to another. Croats, also, organize celebrations and processions in Saint Nicholas’ honor. Ancient pre-Christian boat incineration customs have been Christianized by Croats and preserved up to our days. The Saint Nicholas cult in Croats’ hagiographic heritage is witnessed by oral lyrical poems about Saint Nicholas, prayers, votive shrines and toponyms that inherit their name after the legend about Saint Nicholas. In legends, oral lyrical poems and prayers sea is a common leit motif. In this paper, sea is mentioned 87 times. However, in Croatian scientific literature the Saint Nicholas cult is insufficiently researched. Therefore, the paper lists and multidisciplinary interprets about seventy examples of customs, rituals, oral lyrical poems and prayers to Saint Nicholas. Some votive shrines and toponyms that inherit their names from Saint Nicholas are also listed. About sixty of these examples are modern records which were written down from 1996th to 2014th.
Keywords
legends; sea; giving gifts to children; processions; celebrations; poems; prayers
Hrčak ID:
137835
URI
Publication date:
15.4.2015.
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