“Funny, funny, tralala! St. Nicholas Eve will soon be here” – this is how the stanzas of the St. Nicholas song end. It will be sung in some houses this evening upon Santa’s arrival. But requests for Santa Claus to visit families are limited, as Ralf Schuhwerk from Binningen reports. He has been traveling on St. Nicholas Day for 25 years. “In the beginning I was the servant Rupprecht and my colleague was Santa Claus, now I have been promoted to Santa Claus,” smiles the trained service technician, whose voluntary work in Binningen is great. He is the department commander of the Binningen fire department, head of the Guggenmusik “Hudupfen” and was an announcer at the Colorful Evening in Binningen for many years.
“Private demand is limited to families where one parent knows St. Nicholas’ visit from their childhood. I come to a family where I was allowed to admonish the father. Here, a visit from Santa Claus is simply part of St. Nicholas Day. If St. Nicholas Day falls on a weekend, demand is higher. “You have time,” says Schuhwerk.
Losing interest in old traditions
However, Santa Claus is very welcome at clubs and groups. Nikolaus Ralf Schuhwerk will stop by the meeting under the Christmas tree in Schlatt on Saturday and on Sunday he will visit the “Cafe zum Pfarrhaus” in Binningen, and there will also be children’s gymnastics. Because St. Nicholas Day and the Hudupfen rehearsal coincide this year, St. Nicholas will also be paying a visit there this evening. “When I’m with groups in town and know the people, I write something down myself,” says Schuhwerk, “but when it comes to families and other groups, I have to rely on information.”
He is the Lord of the nativity scenes: there is even a nativity scene by Roland Graf in Bethlehem
He divides the children in Binningen, where many know him, into three groups. There are those who are afraid of Santa Claus. Then those who still believe in Santa Claus and those who are curious and want to know who is in the costume, “you have to make sure that you take off your watch and also what shoes you are wearing.”
Swiss
