Made it through Mikuláš

I think Hannah summed up the day best with, "I was a little bit scared but it was kind of fun. The boys maybe kind of liked it. The baddest boy in my class was of course in the Book of Sins." 

I'm relieved to report that the Oshman girls sailed through their first Mikuláš experience.  I was dying to know every detail as soon as they got home from school.  Basically the scoop is that the 5th grade actors made their way through the school during the 4th hour.  They could be heard stomping and yelling and inciting fear in the waiting children.  Hannah said the first grade girls tried to hide but to no avail.

Once in the classroom, Mikuláš announced that he was there to find out who had been naughty and nice during the entire past year.  The classes collectively sang a song while the devils and angels made the rounds to check that each child actually knew the song and wasn't just mouthing it (a sure sign you've been naughty). 

Mikuláš brought with him a Book of Sins and apparently read some names and accompanying sins in each classroom.  The children who were called out as naughty had to stand at their desks and endure extra yelling and pitch-fork prodding from the devils.  Only a handful of fourth-graders were actually led away by the devils and that was only to the hallway.

They came home with, you guessed it, mandarin oranges and chocolate devils.  I've only let them eat the devil heads so far.  Just like chocolate bunnies. 

This evening we attended a Mikuláš party hosted by our church for the community.  Only Mikuláš made an appearance and some church members put on a play to act out the historical Mikuláš who, tradition says, gave his money to the poor.  In the end, Mikuláš gave each child a bag full of loot and we enjoyed some time of fellowship with our Czech friends from church.  

Tonight I am resting well and thanking God for bringing my kids through yet another foreign experience, in a foreign school, in a foreign land.  I'm so thankful for His grace through their resiliency.