Mikulas!

I apologize for being slack in writing stuff. It's strange how even living in a country where you're illiterate and can't understand anyone can become routine. I've adjusted a bit I guess. I don't really have time to get into all that right now. I've got a lesson in a bit. But I've definitely been doing some reflecting on my time here so far. With Christmas and Thanksgiving plus my 90 day visa adventure it seems like a time to look back a little. I've realized some things about myself and all that but that's a whole different post. 

This one is about Mikulas! It's pronounced "Meekoolahsh" but I can't get my keyboard to do all the funky accent marks and stuff. The "s" has a little v over it that means it's pronounced "sh" instead of "s." So anyway Mikulas I think is like St. Nicholas. In Czech Republic every 5 December they celebrate with Mikulas and his helpers. Here's my friend Marek as the saint.

Sorry it's a bit blurry. I've been messing around with my camera trying to figure out how to zoom in and I think I've been taking very short videos instead.  So Mikulas goes around town with his Angel helpers and gives out presents to children. This is in Maranatha so one character got left out. 

For some reason I don't understand Mikulas also has a devil for a helper (not pictured). They've got some wacky folk tale characters that I just quit trying to figure out. Remember this guy? Apparently he's a Vodnik or water sprite that hangs around rivers and drowns people in order to keep their soul in a little ceramic pot. So the devils go around with Mikulas and the Angels in order to hand out the lumps of coal or some equivalent. I think. Again it's hard to follow sometimes. 

But so Marek was Mikulas at Maranatha. It's a really nice tradition actually. All the parents bring their kids so they all get to have Mikulas give them a present in front of the whole Church. There is catch though. Mikulas won't just give you a present. Check this out.
The kiddies have to sing a song or say a rhyme first. Some of them are shy and some are not but it's all adorable and the parents get to have some nice pictures. Oh yeah that big guy in the back is the head Angel. I don't know the characters name. But anyway it was a really nice little get together. Here's some more photos of everybody.

This is in the main sanctuary at Maranatha.

Na slchedanou "good bye"