SPECIAL+TIMES+Belgium

The most important winter celebrations in Belgium are: Christmas Eve (24 December), Christmas Day (25 December), New Year’s Eve (31 December), New Year Day (1 January), Epiphany (6 January) and Valentine’s Day (14 February). Christmas and Epiphany are religious celebrations. New Year is non religious. Saint Valentine is both.

Every year on the 6th of December we celebrate Saint Nicholas. It's a special day for the children, who receive candy and toys if they have behaved well. As legend says, those who have been naughty, receive nothing or 'the rod' and will be carried off in Black Peter's (Saint Nicholas' helper) sack.