Every year during the first week of December, the canton of Fribourg honours its patron saint, St. Nicolas with a series of special celebrations.
In Fribourg, the anniversary of the death of the saint is a celebration firmly rooted in tradition. At the end of the day, St. Nicholas is seen riding through the streets on a donkey and waving to the crowd; his accompanying bogeymen hand out sweets to the children. At the end of his route, the saint addresses those who come to hear him moralize over the events of the past year. There is often a market where traditional pastries and crafts are sold.
Patron saint of Russia, the city and canton of Fribourg, sailors, and children, St. Nicholas was bishop of Myra, Turkey, around the 4th century.
