Mikuláš or the Devil: Were you obedient?

Ever since I bought a Devil's mask for Halloween I've amused our three-year-old by slipping it on at the most unexpected moments. You know, he's on the can, his little legs stuck straight out, humming to himself or something, and a hand reaches around the door and switches the light off. Then a Devil's face swims through the darkness, chuckling coldly.

It's amazing how loud some little kids can scream, how copiously they can cry.

And this week it gets even better. I get to don the mask for an officially sanctioned occasion - Mikuláš, the Slovak visit of St Nick, accompanied by the Devil (čert) and an Angel (anjel).

Here's the script: Every year on December 5, the day before Mikuláš, before children go to bed, they clean their boots (čižmy) and arrange them on the windowsill (okenná parapeta) or near the door. The idea is to get them into bed with the promise that Mikuláš is on his way, or at least have them confined to their rooms, singing: "Mikuláš, čo nám dáš?" (Mikuláš, what will you give us?)

For children whose parents have arranged to have the Mikuláš trio (usually some willing neighbours) make the rounds, Mikuláš eventually rewards their frequent trips to peer out the window by entering loudly and demanding to have the children presented. The trio consists of the bishop, an angel, and a devil.

Then follow the questions that St Nick seems stuck on in every culture.

"Tak čo detičky, poslúchali ste?" (So, children, have you been behaving?)

"Lebo kto neposlúchal, nič nedostane. A s ním bude mať robotu čert." "(Because whoever hasn't behaved won't get anything. And the devil will have to deal with them.)" Some kids hide (schovávajú sa), or even burst into tears (rozplačú sa), when the Mikuláš trio comes to their door.

Those who aren't hiding or crying are then required to demonstrate they deserve their gifts from Mikuláš by either singing a song (zaspievať pesničku) or reciting a poem (recitovať básničku). The gifts, delivered by the angel from a basket (košík) are usually packages containing sweets and candies (sladkosti, cukríky) and fruit (ovocie), while the bad children who haven't been obeying their parents or bungle their recitations are supposed to be given lumps of coal (uhlíky) and a taste of the wooden spoon (varecha). However, the devil rarely gets to follow through on these juicy threats.