Once upon a time, there were three children who were out collecting wheat. They lost track of time and soon realized that it had gotten dark. They started back but realized that they had become lost in the darkness. They came upon a house and knocked on the door. A butcher came to the door and let them come inside out of the cold. Variations of this legend have the butcher either chopping up the children and either salting them or baking them into a bread. In any case,something creepy, dark and scary happens to them and they are kept in a vat of salt for 7 years until one fateful day that the hero and savior of all of Lorraine, St Nicholas arrives on the scene, saves/resurrects them and chases the evil butcher away forever.
In this corner of the world, St Nicholas is a very important figure for everyone. While having a similar appearance to Santa, they are by no means the same person. While slightly commercialized with pain d'épices (spice cakes) being sold by everyone everywhere, 6th of December represents more than ist some red and green or some gifts wrapped in big bows. It's a day where everyone comes togetherand celebrates life, blessings and love in a very convivial, family way. It's a day of community that leaves everyone with warm feelings and a real sense of prideful be of the region (a feeling that I agree with wholeheartedly even if I can only claim to be of the region for such a short moment).
Saturday night, in La Place Stanislas, the mot beautiful white marble-ish square in the entire world,over 30,000, yes, that's thirty THOUSAND, of my closest French friends and I wheezed into the squareto listen to the legend of St Nicholas beautifully displayed with a light show projected onto the buildings full of beautiful music and amazing choreographed fireworks displays that entered right into the rhythm of the story. The perfect timing of wonderful bursts of gorgeous fireworks that literally took my breath away at the most suspenseful moments left me speechlessly awed at the end. I've never seen such a powerful, beautiful splay in my entire life. At one point, there was a sea of golden sparkling waves of shimmering fireworks that framed the square and the sheer joy that was radiating from everyone's eyeswas a sight that not only reminded me how lucky I am to be here, but also warmed my heart.
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