St. Nicholas is the patron of school children, since he is said to have revived three children that an unscrupulous pork butcher had turned into sausage meat! To Belgian children, he is Santa Claus, arriving on December 6 (though children also receive presents at Christmas). In university towns, students leave the classrooms and parade in the streets, singing and drinking. These festivities are funded in part by a collection that the students take up early in the day, beer mugs in hand. Traditionally the burghers who refused to donate were pelted with flour and eggs. Though this tradition is dying out, don't say you haven't been warned!