Brief History Of Santa Claus the Farther of Christmas - By: S.Roberts

Children naturally want to know where Santa Claus actually came from. Where does he live when he wasn't delivering presents?

St. Nicholas who was later to be known as Santa Claus and Father Christmas is believed to have been born sometime around 280 AD in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey.

St. Nicholas was the center of many grand tales. These legends have been passed down to generations and generations of children. Nicholas would give candy and small toys to children each year on the night before Christmas. The children would leave their shoes out on their front porch and in the morning they would find their shoes filled with candy and toys. Nicholas' reputation for being so loving and generous spread quickly, and he soon became the protagonist of many fables. He was chosen by the people of his hometown in Patara to be their bishop.

When St. Nicholas came to be known as the gift-giver each country or region developed his or her own gift-giver.

In Germany there was a tradition of giving gifts on Christmas it is thought that this is why Germany were keen to merge their Gift-Giver with their pre-existing tradition; which in turn helped to explain the source of Christmas presents given to children on Christmas Day.

The American version of the Santa Claus figure received its inspiration and its name from the Dutch legend of Sinter Klaas, brought by settlers to New York in the 17th century.

As early as 1773 the name appeared in the American press as "St. A Claus," but it was the popular author Washington Irving who gave Americans their first detailed information about the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas. In his History of New York, published in 1809 under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving described the arrival of the saint on horseback (unaccompanied by Black Peter) each Eve of Saint Nicholas.

St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation, when the veneration of saints began to be discouraged, St. Nicholas' Eve, and British settlers took over the tradition as part of their Christmas Eve celebration.

Nicholas had many roles. He was the patron saint of children, seafarers, pawnbrokers, and archers. Nicholas,' that went on to become 'The Night before Christmas.' At last, Santa had a description. He was now a jolly, happy and a rather hefty soul who had a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, and Blitzen. When St. Nicholas' or Santa was first depicted with flying reindeer he was given a more magical, mythological entity.

Nicholas Day was celebrated on December 6th and children would leave their freshly cleaned shoes by the front door hoping St. Nicholas would fill them with sweets, chocolate, fruits and nuts.

Perhaps the final stage in the evolution of the modern Santa Claus was brought about by publicity from the Coca-Cola Company. They launched an advertising campaign in the 1930s with Santa Claus as the central figure and subsequently used the motif for the next forty years or so.

St. Nicholas' evolution into today's happy, larger-than-life Santa Claus is a wonderful example of the blending of countless beliefs and practices from around the world.

About the Author

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