St. Nicholas at St. Nicholas Street
During September the Waveney Springs Art Collective produced an art trail in and around Diss. Merrick Hill Insurance in St. Nicholas Street displayed Ned Pamphilon’s The Vision of Paine and visiters included BBC Radio Norfolk’s Stephen Bumfrey and local MP Richard Bacon.
BBC Radio Norfolk’s Stephen Bumfrey & artist Ned with The Vision of Thomas Paine in the window of Merrick Hill. (click to enlarge pic)
Richard Bacon MP and local community members outside the window of Merrick Hill. (click to enlarge pic)
Ed Nottingham at Merrick Hill was so pleased with the activity he invited Ned to continue displaying artwork in his office window. English artist Ned Pamphilon returned to East Anglia in 2008 after 10 years based in Istanbul, Turkey, where Father Xmas is known as Noel Baba. Paintings of Baba Noel and Nativity Chimney Stories can be seen over the festive season:
Nativity Chimney Stories 100cm x 175cm Istanbul 2005 currently at Merrick Hill in St. Nicholas Street. (click to enlarge pic)
Noel Baba 100cm x 70cm Istanbul 2005 currently at Merrick Hill in St. Nicholas Street. (click to enlarge pic)
Noel Baba, or rather St. Nicholas, was born in the 4th century and lived in Demre (Myra) on Turkey’s southern Mediterranean coast. He was born to a warm sunny climate with green hills and sea breeze in the small village of Patara. At a young age, his parents died leaving a large inheritance enabling him to give generously to the poor and needy. He intended his donations to be secret, but these things get out.
One story tells how a poor old nobleman with 3 beautiful daughters lived in a run-down palace with barely enough to eat. The girls couldn’t marry because there was no money for a wedding. Nicholas secretly deposited bags of gold through an open window, but when one night the window was closed, Nicholas climbed the roof to send a cascade of gold down the chimney and into stockings left hanging to out to dry by the daughters. Years later Nicholas had become a famous holy man and his story was remembered as people began to hang up empty stockings and ‘secretly’ fill them for their children.
Nicholas visited Jerusalem before he grew too old and on his return became the new Bishop of Myra. He continued his generous ways performing miracles and amazing deeds; he saved sailors from drowning, innocents from harm and Myra from famine. His interests remained very much with children and he was loved and respected so much the people built the church of St. Nicholas, still there today. Some alleged his bones were moved to Italy, where years later another church in his remembrance was built. The story was retold and the children of Europe began to hang stockings on the eve of 06 December, St. Nicholas’ Day. He was portrayed wearing green, yet the tradition was melded with 24/25 December and in the 1930’s a US company, marketing a fizzy coloured sugar water drink called Coke, added the red imagery for their advertising campaign.
’Twas the night before Christmas
’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes – how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”
Clement Clarke Moore 1822
