The Hungarian Santa Claus comes in two forms: Szent Mikulas, the figure of Saint Nick and the Baby Jesus. Hungarian Christmas traditions that focus on gift-giving differ from ours, but the sentiment is very similar. The biggest difference lies in the fact that St. Nick does not come on Christmas Eve, but visits him on a day specifically designated for him, while Baby Jesus visits homes on Christmas Eve to distribute gifts.
St. Nicholas
Mikulas, the Hungarian Santa Claus, is the Hungarian version of Saint Nicholas. On the eve of St. Nicholas, December 5, children leave their freshly polished shoes on the windowsill. Mikulas visits the children of Hungary and fills their boots with items that indicate how good the child has been. Good kids get candy or chocolate and little gifts, while traditionally bad kids get onions, switches, or other undesirable items. However, the shoes are often full of desirable and undesirable gifts because Hungarians believe that no child is good or bad.
A typical treat is a cheerful Santa chocolate wrapped in colored paper. Children can also get the traditional Hungarian candy szaloncukor .
Sometimes Szent Mikulas is accompanied by a devil figure, named Krampusz. It acts as a counterpoint to Mikulas’ kindness. This custom is similar to the Czech tradition of Santa Claus: Saint Nicholas arrives to distribute gifts with the help of an angel and a demon in the Czech Republic. On Saint Nicholas Day, Mikulas visits children in schools and kindergartens. He also makes sure to make an appearance at the Budapest Christmas market!
Mikulas lives in Nagykarácsony, a small town whose name means “Great Christmas”, although when the tradition began it was thought that he had come down from heaven on December 5 to reward good children for their behavior. Hungarian children may write to Mikulas in hopes of getting their holiday wishes. Santa’s workshop is also located here and can be visited by families who want to visit Santa in their own territory, where they entertain themselves with various performances and activities especially for children.
Baby Jesus and Old Man Winter
On Christmas Eve, it is not Mikulas who visit the children, but the Child Jesus (Jézuska or Kis Jézus) or the angels, who decorate the Christmas tree and magically leave gifts for the children of the family. Gifts are usually larger or more expensive gifts than those given by Mikulas.
Télapó, or the Hungarian version of Old Man Winter, is another character who can appear during the winter holidays to personify the qualities of winter. Télapó brought gifts on New Year’s Eve during communist times, replacing the Russian Ded Moroz.
