Ban on St. Nick raises political flap in Vienna

VIENNA -- A ban on St. Nicholas at Vienna's kindergartens is taking some of the ho-ho-ho out of the holidays for tens of thousands of tots this year.

And it's creating a political ruckus, with opposition parties accusing City Hall of kowtowing to a growing Muslim population by showing Europe's Santa the kindergarten door.

Municipal officials insist their decision is prompted more by psychology than political correctness.

Instead of joy, the sight of a strange bearded figure at the door evokes fear in most youngsters, they argue. And they point out that the policy on St. Nicholas is more than a decade old -- though they concede it is being enforced more rigorously than in the past.

While Santa rules in the far north, he has little tradition in Austria and nearby countries. As in past years, some booths at Vienna's main Christmas market are again plastered with stickers depicting Santa with a diagonal red bar across his fluffy white beard -- the work of a group in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany that sees Santa as a symbol of the commercialization of Christmas and a threat to local traditions.

Instead, children grow up with traditional Dec. 6 visits from St. Nicholas or Nikolo -- a bearded, mitered figure in bishop's garb dating back to the fourth century who hands out sweets to good girls and boys. Christmas is reserved for the "Christkind" or Christ Child, who sneaks into homes and deposits presents under the tree and sometimes brings the tree itself.

As for naughty children, there is St. Nick's sidekick, who in Austria goes under the name of "Krampus" -- a hairy behorned figure who gives them lumps of coal and threatens them with a swipe of his switch unless they mend their ways.

Councilor Grete Laska says both Krampus and St. Nick "create fear [and] have no place" in city kindergartens, particularly when parents and schools encourage children not to accept gifts from strangers. The kindergartens can hold Christmas parties -- but without St. Nick.

Mouddar Khouja of the Official Religious Islamic Community in Austria said his group has no problems with St. Nick in kindergartens -- or anywhere else in Austria. "We accept the Christian orientation of this country," he said. "We don't want to ban Nikolo."