Turks Want St. Nick Returned
By John David Powell (01/07/03)
Merry Christmas to all Old Calendar Orthodox Christians!
Those not in the know, which is most of the Western world, may be confused at this seemingly belated holiday greeting. Take heart, dear friends, because you are not alone. The whole Old Calendar/New Calendar thing is confusing even for those who pretend to know. It is so confusing, in fact, that I nominate it for inclusion in the Official Church Mysteries.
In brief, there is a 12 (or 13) day difference between the Old Calendar (Julian) and the New Calendar (Gregorian). Old Calendar adherents of the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition observe Christmas on Jan. 6 (or 7), along with the Feasts of the Circumcision and Theophany.
OK, enough of that. Let’s turn our attention to a matter that has been a bone of contention for centuries, but which may soon have two countries up in arms.
The Santa Claus Foundation of Turkey, an apparent front for the Foundation for the Preservation of Turkish Monuments and the Environment, is selling two million bricks at two bucks (US) a pop to fund the restoration of the ancient St. Nicholas Church in Demre, formerly Myra. The project, “Santa Claus is Rebuilding his House with the Children of the World,” is web based, and the Foundation folks promise donors they can watch the whole thing on the web.
This is innocuous so far, if you don’t mind shilling in the name of children to raise money to restore a place of worship for a religion that is persecuted by the government.
Or could there be another, less warm and fuzzy, reason? Methinks tourist dollars are at stake. Tens of thousands of tourists visit the crumbling current church sans bones. Imagine the take if there were saintly remains to venerate.
Just after Christmas (New Calendar), a spokesperson for the Claus people called for the return from Bari, Italy, of the bones of St. Nicholas of Myra that were shanghaied by Italian sailors several centuries ago.
“To Demre from Bari in Two-Thousand Three!” chanted the group’s chairman.
“Hey, we got yer bones right here,” responded an unidentified Italian clergyman.
To appreciate the fuss, one must know a little about St. Nicholas. He is the patron saint of children, maidens, merchants, travelers, scholars and sailors, whose feast day is December 6. Pre-saint Nicholas was born around 300 A.D. in Asia Minor. Christianity in those days was not a sanctioned religion. As such, its followers were tortured or put to death for a variety of political, religious, and sporting reasons. Nicholas was arrested and tortured, but continued his work for the church.
An event occurred during those pre-Constantine days that would link Nicholas with gift giving and Christmas. It was, and is, the custom in many countries for the bride’s father to provide a dowry to the groom. A girl from a poor family might go unwed. Such was the case in Myra, only instead of one girl there were three sisters doomed to spinsterhood.
One night, family members heard a thud in the fireplace, and they were amazed to discover someone had tossed down their chimney a bag containing enough money for the oldest daughter's dowry.
There remained, however, two sisters and a father who was still strapped for cash. To the wonderment of all, more bags of coins fell from the chimney. Nicholas got credit for these unselfish deeds for reasons that remain obscure, but this is why the symbols for St. Nicholas are three gold balls or bags of gold.
Enter the Italians. In the late 11th century, merchants from Bari, needing to increase tourism, decided to make their local saint the cornerstone of a tourism campaign to be called, “Hey, we got yer bones right here!”
Members of the Bari Chamber of Commerce all nodded their heads and slapped each other on the backs, congratulating themselves for coming up with such a fine plan.
There was just one snag: Bari didn't have a saint. So, the merchants frowned and wandered around aimlessly until someone else came up with the idea to utilize another town's saint. Again, there were appreciative nods and congratulatory slaps.
Ah, but which saint should be chosen? And how would that saint be appropriated? Vexing questions, indeed.
Since the good folks of Bari felt an affinity to St. Nicholas of Myra, they conspired with some opportunistic sailors in the liberation of his remains. On May 9, 1087 (Old Calendar), the relics of St. Nicholas were enshrined in their new home. The thieving citizens of Bari eventually built a basilica in his honor and encased his remains in blocks of reinforced concrete. It’s an Italian thing.
Meanwhile, the folks of Myra awoke to discover they were St. Nick-less. They dispatched emissaries to Bari for frank and earnest discussions. More than 900 years later, the Turks, the Catholics, and the Bari tourist board/saint acquisition committee are still negotiating the return of the purloined relics.
I have a solution. If possession is nine-tenths of the law, then I say let Bari keep the bulk of the bones and give the finger to the Turks.
First published at www.EtherZone.com
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