People across Europe celebrated Saint Nicholas Day on Sunday (December 6), despite COVID-19 restrictions reducing much of the magic enjoyed by participants.

Also called the Feast of Saint Nicholas, the day celebrates the fourth-century bishop who provided for the poor and sick and became the precursor to Santa Claus.

Traditionally Saint Nicholas spends the day dressed in red robes, distributing presents to children deemed to have behaved well throughout the year.

Social distancing rules meant that in countries like Belgium and Czechia 'Saint Nick' was forced to make drive-through visits to town squares, with enthralled children kept at a safe distance inside their cars.

However, children at Montlegia Hospital in the Belgian city of Liege were allowed to meet the mask-wearing Saint Nicholas in person.

"There are a lot of sparkling eyes, laughter and emotion for the whole team and people, young and old, who met Saint Nicholas," said Souad Amrani, the hospital's head of pediatric education.

Meanwhile, naughty children across the continent were spared the ordeal of being terrified by Krampus, the traditional counterpart to Saint Nicholas.

The half-goat half-demon usually punishes the badly behaved, but he was unable to be as scary from a minimum distance of two meters.

In the Netherlands Zwarte Piet, which translates as Black Pete, made his annual appearance, giving sweets to children in drive-through visits.

This year Piet has been renamed Chimney Pete in a bid to counter criticism that the character, who first appeared in Dutch culture in 1850, is racist.