Saint Nicolas

As promised, a posting on the Saint Nicolas festival here in Fribourg.

All afternoon, the town was bustling with energy - people out and about, Christmas markets, warm wine, and general cheer. Then came the rain. But thankfully, that let up before the real celebration started.

Now, when I say real celebration... this is what I mean. A band walks by. Then ten minutes later, Saint Nicolas walks by. Then, Saint Nicolas gives a speech from the cathedral. That's it. But, the Fribourgeois LOVE it. Estimates are around 30,000 people come each year.

There is something really festive about it all - but it is one of those moments where I know I'm not from here. It's like the Fado dinner I was at a couple weekends ago. I can appreciate it with an external eye and ear - but I can't live the same passion and excitement with an internal eye and ear as a Fribourgeois can with the Saint Nicolas or a Portuguese can an evening of Fado.

I didn't stick around to hear the speech. I didn't have it in me to push through tens of thousands of people. But maybe I should have followed Saint Nicolas longer. Last year he was attacked by water balloons. Result: Fribourgeois are pissed off and Saint Nicolas has a bodyguard.

(Our spot on Saint Nicolas' route to the Cathedral. For the most part, these are people walking by - and it was a steady flow of people like this for at least a half hour. You also see how much Fribourg feels like a town - and not a city. You see people you know. And you see people seeing people they know - left and right.)


(Looking to the left from the same spot above. There are still another couple hundred meters to the cathedral.)


(Santa Claus (why is he here?) blocking my view.)


(It's hard to see, but this is the flute choir that came right before Saint Nicolas. Each row was a different color - you can see the red, orange, yellow, white here. All surrounded by people holding candles.)


(Saint Nicolas - on his mule!)