Swiss Santa Claus shows slightly sinister side to St Nick

Switzerland's "Samichlaus" looks very much like St Nicholas Keystone Archive

Thousands of Swiss children headed to the woods last week to meet "Samichlaus", Switzerland's version of St Nicholas.

The Swiss incarnation of St Nicholas, popularly known as Samichlaus in the German-speaking part of the country, looks very much like his counterpart in the United States or in Britain.

Both dress in red-and-white and sport a white beard, but the similarities do not extend far beyond the costume.

Samichlaus lives not in Lapland, but in the forest, and is accompanied not by a band of elves but by a lone helper called “Schmutzli”.

Instead of making a dramatic entrance through the chimney on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, Switzerland’s Saint Nicholas rides a cart pulled by a donkey.

Even the date of his annual visit is different: by the time Santa Claus makes his whirlwind tour of the world on the night of Christmas Eve, Samichlaus is already putting his feet up, having finished his own tour of duty on December 6, St Nicholas’ Day.

Sinister Schmutzli

Samichlaus himself may be as jovial as his American counterpart, but his assistant Schmutzli is an unexpectedly sinister and gloomy figure.

Dr Martin Hirzl, a theologian at the University of Zurich, says Schmutzli’s role is to focus the attention of children on how they have behaved during the past year.

Hirzl says Schmutzli provides a counter-balance to Samichlaus, by reminding children they can “only receive presents if they have behaved properly”.

“I think because Samichlaus lives in the wood, and is accompanied by Schmutzli, who wears a black robe, the image of St Nicholas is very serious and fearful,” he told swissinfo.

“It’s not an amusing thing when children are visited by Samichlaus, because it’s like an exam in school when the teachers want to test the knowledge of the children,” he added.

Between them, Samichlaus and Schmutzli carry a book which contains details of how every child they meet has behaved over the past year.

“This could be an allusion to the Book of Life,” Schmutzli says, “which contained all the deeds of men in the world.”

Only after Schmutzli has checked the records contained in the book will Samichlaus hand out small presents such as oranges, tangerines, nuts or chocolate.

Local tradition

Several towns and cities in Switzerland have developed their own traditions around the legend of St Nicholas.

In Fribourg, St Nicholas – the city’s patron saint – rides a donkey through the streets of the Old City on the evening of December 6 at the head of a procession which terminates in front of the cathedral.

From here, the actor playing St Nicholas delivers a speech in which he reviews the events of the past 12 months.

According to a somewhat gruesome local legend, St Nicholas once brought three children from Fribourg back to life after a local butcher had chopped them up. The story, depicted on the cathedral portico, quickly established the popularity of St Nicholas in the city.

Elsewhere in Switzerland, a network of hundreds of St Nicholas Guilds ensures Samichlaus is never more than a phone call away during the build-up to December 6.

Parents seeking an audience with Samichlaus for their children telephone their local guild to book a personal visit from the bearded one and his helper.

Samichlaus may come just once a year, but this has not stopped generations attempting to cash in on his good name.

The independent Swiss brewery, Hürlimann, achieved international fame for its Samichlaus Beer, brewed once a year on December 6.

Billed as one of the strongest beers in the world (14.7 per cent alcohol by volume), Hürlimann stopped making its Christmas tipple in 1996 after the brewery was taken over by Swiss rival Feldschlösschen.

Marketing fads and consumer tastes may come and go, but Samichlaus himself is unlikely ever to miss his annual appearance in Switzerland.

by Ramsey Zarifeh