Saint Nicholas Day blessed at church or at home. The host wafts incense over the table, then lifts and breaks the bread. Bulgarians also observe 6 December as the name day for those with the names Nikola, Nikolay, Kolyo, Nikolina, Neno, Nenka, Nikoleta and Nina. In the Netherlands the primary occasion for gift-giving is 5 December, when his feast day is celebrated. In Belgium they celebrate Sinterklaas on the morning of the 6 December. In the days leading up to 5 or 6 December (starting when Saint Nicholas has arrived by steamboat around mid-November), young children put their shoes in front of the
Order of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus (Wrangel) Order of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus (Wrangel) The Order of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus was instituted during the Russian Civil War on April 30, 1920, by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian White Army, General Wrangel, to replace the highest military award of the Russian Empire, the Order of St. George. St. Nicholas was considered the patron saint of the White Army. The order is an iron cross, in the center of the cross is a circle with an image of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus on dark-blue enamel. Around this image is a laurel wreath, the symbol of glory. Around the wreath is the