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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
Abbess
A woman who is the head of a religious community (convent)

Abjure
Renounce under oath, recant

Advent
4 weeks of preparation before Christmas; 1st season of the church year, begins 4 Sundays before Christmas

Alsace
Northeastern region of France, borders on Germany

Anatolia
Region that is now the Asian portion of modern Turkey

Andriaki
Port to the city of Myra in Bishop Nicholas' time

Apulia
Region in southeastern Italy, Bari is the capital

Artemis
Ancient Greek goddess, twin sister of Apollo, prominent for Greeks in Asia Minor where she was a fertility goddess; identified with Roman goddess Diana

Asia Minor
Large peninsula between the Mediterranean and Black Seas; includes most of Turkey; Asia Minor is the area where St. Nicholas lived

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B
Banket
Dutch almond-filled pastry

Bari
City in southeast Italy, St. Nicholas relics were taken there in 1087

Basilica
A church with a privileged canonical status granted by the Pope or of a particular architectural style

Bishop
The highest order of ministry; supervises a number of local churches; guards the faith, unity, and discipline of the whole church

Bishopric
Office or rank of a bishop

Black Peter
Comes with St. Nicholas, mostly in the Netherlands; a Moor from Africa; Zwarte Piet

Boy Bishop
Custom of electing a Boy Bishop on St. Nicholas Day; widespread in Europe in the Middle Ages, especially popular in England; carried out duties until Holy Innocents Day, Dec 28

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C
Canons
Clergy or minister serving at a cathedral

Chalice
Cup used in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper

Chasuble
Outer poncho-like garment, worn by the priest or minister serving as celebrant at Holy Communion/Eucharist

Christkindl
Christ Child who brings gifts in Germany and Austria

Christkindlmarkt
European Christmas market, usually outdoors with small wooden market stalls

Constantine
Roman Emperor from 324-337 AD; legalized Christian worship

Constantinople
Capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine; now Istanbul

Convent
Place where a community of nuns lives

Cope
Cloak-like garment, or cape, worn by bishops and clergy in procession or for other formal events

Council of Nicaea
First ecumenical council; called to preserve unity of the church which was threatened by competing definitions of Jesus

Crozier
Bishop's gold-colored staff, shaped like a shepherd's crook; symbol of office showing that, like the Good Shepherd, bishops are spiritual shepherds to the people; also crosier

Crypt
Underground room beneath the main floor of a church; used as chapel or burial place

Czar
The emperor or ruler of Russia before 1917

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D
Deity
A god or goddess

Demre
Modern name for the city of Myra in Turkey

Diocletian
Roman Emperor from 284-305 AD; persecuted Christians

Dowry
Money or property a woman brings to marriage; such payment was necessary in order to marry in the ancient world

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E
Ecumenical
Encouraging Christian unity among all churches

Ex-voto
An object or painting left in gratitude

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F
Famine
A severe lack of food, causing hunger, starvation, and death

Feast Day
Special day to honor a saint; commemorates birth into life eternal, the earthly death date

Flanders
Northern Dutch-speaking part of Belgium

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H
Hogshead
A large cask or barrel

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I
Icon
Stylized image of Christ, the Virgin, or saints, for devotional use in church or home; a window into heaven; present in Eastern Rite churches since the 6th century

Iconostas
Screen with doors and rows of icons which separates the bema or sanctuary (altar area) from the nave (place where the congregation worships)

Irving, Washington
Early American writer (1783-1859); source of Dutch-American St. Nicholas legends

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K
Krampus
Frightening devil-like figure with St. Nicholas in Austria

Kruidnoten
Small round crisp Dutch cookies, similar to pepernoten, but more tender

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L
Liegemen
Devoted follower or loyal subject

Livingston, Henry
Poet, among other things, from Poughkeepsie, New York; some scholars believe he was the author of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ("'Twas the Night Before Christmas")

Lorraine
Region in northeast France

Lycia
Ancient country in Asia Minor, along what is now the southern coast of Turkey

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M
Manna
"Manna of Saint Nicholas" is pure water formed in the tomb of the Saint; it formed in the tomb in Myra and has continued to do so in Bari, Italy; formerly called "oil;" "Myron" in Eastern tradition

Marriage Portion or Dowry
Money or property a woman brings to marriage; such payment was necessary in order to marry in the ancient world

Matins
The first prayer service of the day, often at daybreak

Miter
Bishop's hat; tall and pointed in the Western Church; rounded like a turban with a cross on top in the Eastern Church; also mitre

Moore, Clement Clark
Professor at the Episcopal General Theological Seminary in New York; commonly believed to have written "A Visit From St. Nicholas," or "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Myra
City on the southern Mediterranean seacoast of what is now Turkey, the place where St. Nicholas served as bishop; now Demre, Turkey

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N
Nast, Thomas
Illustrator and cartoonist; drawings in Harper's Weekly from 1863-1888 strongly influenced the American Santa image

Nativity Fast
Forty day period before the Nativity Feast (Christmas) as observed in Eastern churches

New Amsterdam
Colonial Dutch town on Manhattan, renamed New York

New Netherland
North American Dutch colony along the Hudson and lower Delaware rivers; taken over by England in 1669

Nicaea
ancient city in Asia Minor; first Ecumenical Council held there, leading to adoption of the Nicene Creed

Nicene Creed
Widely recognized statement of the faith of the Christian church; used every Sunday in several traditions; incorporates essential clauses from the Council of Nicaea (325)

Nicholas Bishop
Another term for Boy Bishop

Nun
A woman who belongs to a religious order and lives under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience

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O
Omophorion
Liturgical stole, marked by crosses, worn by bishops in the Eastern Church

Ottoman Empire
Turkish state (1350-1918), largest and most influential Muslim empire; at its height in the 16th century under Suleiman the Magnificent, it stretched from the Persian Gulf to Hungary and from Egypt to the Caucasus

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P
Pantheon
All the gods of a particular belief system, taken together

Patara
Birthplace of St. Nicholas, city west of Myra (now Demre, Turkey)

Patron Saint
The saint who is the special protector of a person, group, or place

Père Fouettard
Hooded figure who goes about with St. Nicholas in France; said to be the evil butcher in the story of the three children

Pelf
Money, riches

Pepernoten
Small hard spiced cookies; gingernuts; Dutch, Flemish, German; Dutch pepernoten are often tough and flavored with anise

Phyrgia
Ancient country in Asia Minor, now Turkey

Piets/Pieten
Sinterklaas' helpers in the Netherlands

Pilgrimage
A journey made to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion

Pilgrim
A person who makes a long journey to a sacred place out of religious devotion

Pontifical
A bishop's formal garments or robes

Puritans
Group of strict Protestants formed in England in the 16th century; outlawed Christmas celebrations in England and New England

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Q
Quire
Place where the choir sings

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R
Rector
In Roman Catholic usage, a priest in charge of a religious house, college or congregation

Reformation
Religious movement in the 16th century which led to Protestant churches being established

Reft
To take away; to rob

Relic
Something remaining as a memorial to a saint, often part of the body or clothes

Reliquary
Container for sacred objects or relics

Ruprecht
St. Nicholas' helper in Germany; originally a farm servant

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S
Saint
A person who lived a life devoted to God; a worthy example of holiness, virtue, or kindness and charity; someone who lets God's love shine through them to the world

Saint-Nicolas-de-Port
French town named for St. Nicholas; home of a large basilica dedicated to St. Nicholas

Samichlaus
Swiss St. Nicholas

Saracens
Nomadic people who lived in the Syrian and Arabian deserts

Scarify
To puncture and scar the skin; scourge; lacerate

Schmutzli
Figure in brown hooded cloak; two of them travel with St. Nicholas in Switzerland

See
Bishop's authority or jurisdiction

Seljuks
Turkish dynasties that controlled large parts of Asia from the 11th to the 13th centuries

Shrine
A place devoted to a saint or holy person; a place of pilgrimage

Sint
Short name for Dutch Sinterklaas

Sint Nicolaaskerk
Saint Nicholas Church

Sinterklaas
Dutch name for St. Nicholas

Sinterklaas Eve
December 5

Sinterklaas Season
Mid-November, when Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands, until 5 December, the night of Sinterklaas Eve parties

Sint-Niklaas
Town in East Flanders, named for St. Nicholas

Slava
unique Serbian Orthodox religious tradition, a family thanksgiving festival celebrating its patron saint

Sovereign
Gold coin, once worth a British pound

Speculaas
Dutch spiced cookies, often made in the shape of Sinterklaas, traditionally served on St. Nicholas Day

Speculatius
German molded spice cookies

Speculoos
Belgian molded spice cookies

St. Nicholas Day
December 6 or, on the Julian Calendar, December 19

St. Nicholas Eve
December 5

Sundblom, Haddon
His annual illustrations from 1931-1964 for Coca-Cola created the familiar American Santa Claus: life-size, jovial, in a white fur-trimmed red suit

Starving
Suffering from a lack of food

Swythe
Quickly

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T
Taai-taai
Tough anise flavored Dutch cookies, often in small shapes; popular for Sinterklaas; taai-taai dough may also be used to make pepernoten

Theotokos
Greek word meaning God-bearer or Mother of God

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V
Venerate
To hold in reverent or worshipful respect

Vladimir I
Brought Christianity and St. Nicholas to Russia in 987 AD

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Z
Zwarte Piet
Dutch name for the Moorish helper who travels with St. Nicholas; Black Peter