To the Board's Atheists

[_antishock8]

I don't see the big problem some atheists have with celebrating Christmas. It's not really a religious holiday anyway -- why not let Santa come down your chimney and give you a bunch of presents?

What does Santa have to do with Christmas?

Everything, apparently. Have you ever been to the mall?[/quote]

Sure, but what does Santa have to do with Christmas?

[_ludwigm]

...
Sure, but what does Santa have to do with Christmas?

For us, hungarians, nothing.

We call Santa Mikulás, which is a nickname for Miklós, which is the H version of Nicholas. We celebrate him at 6th december, his nameday. At that day children put their shoes into the window and get into them small gifts in red bags. (sweet stuff, walnut, apple - or birch for the bad ones)

In the last decades santa moved in christmas, as the world opened more.

by the way

Male variations
* Albanian: Nikolla, Nikollë, Kola
* Basque: Nikola
* Belarusian: Mikalaj (Мікалай), Mikola (Мікола)
* Bulgarian: Никола (Nikola), Николай (Nikolay)
* Croatian: Nikola, Niko, Nikša, Nikica
* Czech: Mikula, Mikoláš, Mikuláš, Nikola
* Danish: Claus, Klaus, Niels, Nikolaus, Nikolaj, Nilaus, Nis
* Dutch: Klaas, Nico, Nicolaas, Niek, Nikolaas
* English: Nic, Nick, Nickolas, Nicky, Nik, Nicolas, Nikolas, Nicholas, Nikholas
* Esperanto: Niĉjo, Nikolao
* Estonian: Nigul
* Fijian: Niko
* Finnish: Launo, Niilo, Niklas, Niko
* French: Nicolas, Nico, Colas, Colin
* Frisian (West): Klaes
* Galician: Nicolau
* Georgian: Nikoloz
* German: Claus, Claas, Klaas, Klaus, Klas, Nickolaus, Nicolas, Nicolaus, Niklaus, Nikolaus, Niklas, Nico, Niko
* Greek: Νικόλαος (Nicolaos), Νικόλας (Nikolas), Νίκος (Nikos), Νικολής (Nikolis)
* Hungarian: Miklós, Nikola
* Irish: Nioclás
* Italian: Niccolò, Nico, Nicola, Nicolò, Nicolai
* Latvian: Nikolajs, Niks
* Lithuanian: Mikalojus
* SlavoMacedonian: Nikola, Kole, Nikolče (Pronounced Nik-col-che)
* Norwegian: Nils
* Polish: Mikołaj, Mik
* Portuguese: Nicolau
* Romanian: Neculai, Nicolae, Nicu, Nicusor, Niculae
* Russian: Коля (Kolya), Николай (Nikolai)
* Scottish: Neacel, Nichol, Nicol
* Serbian: Никола (Nikola)
* Slovak: Mikuláš, Nikola
* Slovene: Miklavž, Niko, Nikolaj
* Spanish: Nicolao, Nicolás
* Swedish: Nels, Niklas, Niclas, Nicklas, Nils, Klas, Claes
* Ukrainian: Mykolai, Mykola

Female forms
* Bulgarian: Николина (Nikolina), Николета (Nikoleta)
* Croatian: Nikolina, Nika, Nina
* Czech: Nikola
* Dutch: Klasina, Klazina, Nicole, Nicolien, Nicolet, Nicoline
* Danish: Nikoline
* English: Nicole/Nichole/Nicolle/Nikole/Nikkole, Nicola/Nichola, Nicolette, Colette, Nicky/Nikki/Nicci
* French: Colette, Coline, Nicole, Nicolette, Nicoline
* German: Nicole, Nicola, Nikola
* Greek: Νίκη (Níkē, a conflation with Nike), Νικολέτα (Nikoléta), Νικολίνα (Νikolína)
* Hungarian: Nikolett
* Italian: Nicoletta, Nicla, Nicole, Nicolina
* SlavoMacedonian: Nikolina
* Romanian: Niculina, Nicoleta
* Scottish: Nicola
* Serbian: Nikolija (archaic), Nikolina, Nikoleta
* Slovak: Nikola
* Slovene: Nika
* Spanish: Nicolasa, Nicolá
* Swedish: Nicole