Czechs dress up to mark eve of St. Nicholas Day

Czechs around the country are set to mark the eve of St. Nicholas Day later on Tuesday. People dress up as St. Nicholas (in Czech Mikuláš), an angel and a devil and in trios take to the streets and visit children, notionally rewarding them for being good with sweets and punishing them for bad behaviour with coal or potatoes.

The St. Nicholas tradition, which is also celebrated in different form in other European countries, dates back to the Middle Ages.

Author: Ian Willoughby