This week's Turnback Tuesday touches on the legend of hanging stockings.
It has been said that a widowed man and his three daughters were having a difficult time making ends meet. He worried that with them being so poor it would make it impossible for his daughters to marry. (A dowry was expected when a woman married.)
St. Nicholas was traveling through the town and heard of the family’s plight. So to help out, St. Nicholas anonymously threw three bags of gold down the chimney and they fell into the girls' stockings that were drying on the fireplace. In the morning, the girls found the gold and with the gifts they were able to marry.
This tradition continues to today, not necessarily with gold but with small gifts.
(Note: Our apologies as yesterday's Turnback Tuesday was posted in error. Thanks to loyal follower, Joseph DiRienzo, for kindly giving us the heads up.)
Thanks goes to the Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting history each week.
