Traditions - Santa Clause
| The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th
century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in present
day Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man,
particularly devoted to children. After his death around 340
A.D. he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors
purportedly stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy,
greatly increasing St. Nicholas' popularity throughout Europe.
His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to
claims he that he could perform miracles and devotion to him
increased. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia, where
he was known by his red cape, flowing white beard, and bishop's
mitre. |
In Greece, he is the patron saint of sailors, in France he was
the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium the patron of children and
travellers. Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to
him and some time around the 12th century an official church holiday
was created in his honor. The Feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated
December 6 and the day was marked by gift-giving and charity.
After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas dwindled,
but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of
his name Sint Nikolaas was eventually transformed to Sinterklaas.
Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and
Sinterklaas would reward good children by placing treats in their
shoes. Dutch colonists brought brought this tradition with them to
America in the 17th century and here the Anglican name of Santa
Claus emerged.
In 1822 Clement C. Moore composed the poem
A Visit
From Saint Nicholas, published as The Night Before
Christmas as a gift for his children. In it, he portrays Santa
Claus:
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly,
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
Other countries feature different gift-bearers for the Christmas
or Advent season: La Befana in Italy ~ The Three Kings in Spain,
Puerto Rico, and Mexico ~ Christkindl or the Christ Child in
Switzerland and Austria ~ Father Christmas in England ~ and Pere
Noël, Father Christmas or the Christ Child in France. Still, the
figure of Santa Claus as a jolly, benevolent, plump man in a red
suit described in Moore's poem remains with us today and is
recognized by children and adults alike around the world.
