Dia de São Nicolau

S. Nicolau (Séc. XIV, Museu Nacional Machado de Castro)

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Oração a S. Nicolau (1500, MNAA)

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Manuel Correia, São Nicolau (Séc. XVII, Museu Grão Vasco)

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S. Nicolau (Séc. XIX, Museu Grão Vasco)

18 Dias para o Natal - Desde São Nicolau até ao Pai Natal

«Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle and simply "Santa", is a fantasy figure with legendary, mythical,historical and folkloric origins who, in many western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children on the night before Christmas, December 24. However in some European countries children receive their presents on St. Nicholas' Day, December 6. The modern figure of Santa Claus was derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, which, in turn, was part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of Christian bishop and gift giver Saint Nicholas. During the Christianization of Germanic Europe, this figure may have absorbed elements of the god Odin, who was associated with the Germanic pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky» (Wikipedia).

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São Nicolau de Myra (séc. XIII, Mosteiro de Santa Catarina, Sinai - Link)

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Joseph Mauder, St. Nicholas (c. 1907-15 - Link)

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(Link)

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Thomas Nast, Merry Old Santa Claus (1881 - Link)

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Norman Rockwell, Christmas Santa Reading Mail (1935 - Link)

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Pai Natal de chocolate, "Fantasia de Natal" (Museu dos Biscainhos - Link)

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Pai Natal (Museu dos Biscainhos - Link)

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São Lucas

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A «Christian tradition states that he was the first icon painter. He is said to have painted pictures of the Virgin Mary (for example, The Black Madonna of Częstochowa or Our Lady of Vladimir) and of Peter and Paul. Thus late medieval guilds of St Luke in the cities of Flanders, or the Accademia di San Luca  (...) in Rome, imitated in many other European cities during the 16th century, gathered together and protected painters. The tradition that Luke painted icons of Mary and Jesus has been common, particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy. The tradition also has support from the Saint Thomas Christians of India who claim to still have one of the Theotokos icons that St Luke painted and Thomas brought to India».

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Wikipedia.

O branco

Ícone da Transfiguração (Século XVI, Museu do Hermitage, São Petersburgo).

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«Le blanc, couleur iniciatrice, devient, dans son acception diurne, la couleur de la révélation, de la grâce, de la transfiguration qui éblouit, éveillant l'entendement en même temps qu'il le dépasse: c'est la couleur de la théophanie dont un reste demeurera autour de la tête de tous ceux qui ont connu Dieu, sous la forme d'une auréole de lumière qui est bien la somme des couleurs».

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Jean Chevalier e Alain Gheerbrant.

1982, Dictionnaire des Symboles.