Advent Calendar Day 6

The weekend has arrived and we are on Day 6 of my Tarot Advent Calendar Challenge, and it is a challenge because I am something of a sporadic blogger, only posting when the mood takes me (or I manage to finish the post while it is still even remotely relevant).

Today is also St Nicholas’ Day. St who? I hear the non-Europeans among you cry. St Nicholas, the bloke with the big white beard dressed like a bishop, the model for Santa Claus due to his gift-bringing activities.

At school, Miko?aj (as Saint Nicholas was known) was always a big thing for the younger children. We did have an actual bishop turn up (he had the outfit already) to dole out little gifts to the good children (well, all the children). Some of the older girls would dress up as devils with birch switches and tridents and roam about looking menacing and prodding the odd child as a reminder to be good. It was tremendously good fun and one of my fondest memories of school activities around this time of year.

The other was the big Christmas Concert, which was always extremely well-attended (considering it was a boarding school and some parents had to travel a not-inconsiderable distance just for the evening and pay for tickets). It was a mix of dance (ballet and Polish folk dance), drama (the obligatory Christmas playlet) and music with the school particularly known for its choir, which at one time performed in London. I remember the weeks and weeks of rehearsals, not to mention the palaver getting costumes and scenery made. It was a massive event.

But, I’m rambling down the lanes of memory and I’m sure you want to know what today’s Advent card will be, so I will torture you with reminiscence no longer 🙂

Today’s deck is the Fairytale Tarot. Not entirely chosen at random, but it seemed appropriate in light of my musings and the frostiness of this morning, as did rather put me in mind of the Snow Queen. I also have the Whimsical Tarot, which is also based on fairy tales, but there are many that I don’t recognise, whereas the Fairytale Tarot is mostly familiar the European stories with which I grew up.

The card chosen today by my lovely assistant, DH, is the Page of Coins:

© Karen Mahoney*

The story connected with this card is the Brothers Grimm’s The Tinder Box. I must admit that only the title was familiar and I had forgotten the details. Perhaps just as well, since it is a touching story of greed and murder in the Grimm tradition 😀

A soldier is enticed to steal treasure and a tinder box by a witch, whom he then kills. *wavy lines as time passes and the soldier fritters away the loot* The soldier discovers that the tinder box summons “wish” dogs, who fetch whatever he wishes. This turns out to be more money and a princess. He kisses the princess and murders her parents when they (quite rightly) throw him in jail for messing with their daughter. The people make him king in terror and the girl goes along with becoming queen because she clearly has the morals of an alley cat. A touching tale, I think you’ll agree 😀

So, how might this relate to my Christmas? To be honest, I’m hoping not at all as regards the murder and greed, though perhaps I can come to an arrangement with Dexter where he goes and fetches me cash as and when I need it. As to the possible source of this loot the story remains silent, but well, greedy bankers are not in short supply according to the media – perhaps I can liberate some of their surplus 😀

What do you think?

* Oh, I do seem to be rather gravitating towards Karen Mahoney’s work this week 😀