Saint Nicholas lived in the 4th century and was archbishop of the church in Lycia, near the coast of what is now Turkey. Legends tell of his kindness and love of children.      The best known legend tells of his surreptitious gifts to three daughters of a poor man who, unable to give them dowries, was about to abandon them to prostitution. When the first daughter was ready to marry, the good bishop tossed a bag of gold into her window at night. (He was a shy man who did not like to give money directly). When the second daughter was ready to marry, she too received an anonymous gift of gold. When the third daughter prepared to marry, the father was determined to find the giver of such generous gifts and kept watch. It is said that Nicholas climbed to the roof and dropped the third bag of gold into the chimney, where it landed in a stocking hung to dry. When the father saw that Nicholas was their benefactor, the bishop begged him not to reveal his secret, but of course, the news got out. From then on, whenever someone received an unexpected gift, they thanked Saint Nicholas.      Six hundred years later the Russian Emperor Vladimir visited Constantinople and heard the wonderful stories about Bishop Nicholas. He decided to make him patron Saint of Russia.      December 6 is the anniversary of Nicholas' death. Because the date is so close to Christmas, St. Nicholas has come to be associated with Christmas celebrations. By the time of the reformation, Nicholas was popular among the common folk, who combined his legend with those of the Christchild; both were said to be humble wanderers, examining the deeds of mankind, especially children, and rewarding good behavior with gifts. Dutch children were told that Saint Nicholas, or Sinter Klaas, sailed from Spain with a Moorish helper. They filled their shoes with hay and sugar for his horse, and awoke to find their shoes filled with nuts and candies.      This Dutch legend of Sinter Klaas was brought to America by settlers to New York in the 17th century, and was the inspiration for the American version of Santa Claus.

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