Cert
Folk beliefs assign ST. NICHOLAS the role of Christmas GIFT bringer in Czechoslovakia. According to Czechoslovakian folklore, two oddly matched companions aid the good saint in his labors. On December sixth, ST. NICHOLAS’S DAY, Nicholas descends from heaven on a golden rope accompanied by an ANGEL dressed in white and a demon known as a cert. The cert wears black clothing and carries a whip and chain. He frightens naughty children, reminding them of the punishment in store for them if they don’t mend their ways. (See also BLACK PETER.)