Ask any child about Santa Claus and they will give you lots of facts and information about the man in the red suit. However, his origins are rarely known. The story dates back to a monk named St. Nicholas, who was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra. This place is actually modern-day Turkey. St. Nicholas was admired for his piety and kindness and became the subject of many different legends.
Some say he gave his inherited wealth away and travelled to the countryside in order to assist the poor and sick. Three poor sisters who were almost sold into slavery or prostitution by their father were saved by him. He gave them a dowry so that they could marry.
Nicholas became known as the protector of children and sailors, as his kindness became known over the course of many years.
The feast day of St. Nicholas is celebrated on the 6th of December, which is the anniversary of his death. He had become the most popular saint in Europe by the Renaissance years.
It wasn’t until the end of the 18th century that he was introduced to American popular culture. A newspaper in New York wrote about Dutch families that had gathered to honour the anniversary of the death of St. Nicholas in the years 1773 and 1774.
In Holland, where Nicholas was quite popular, he was also known as Sinter Klaas, which was short for Sint Nikolaas. This is where ‘Santa Claus’ came from.
It was not until the 1820s that Christmas shopping was advertised by shops. By the 1840s, newspapers started to create separate sections for festive advertisements. They featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus.
In the early 1890s, the Salvation Army were in need of money to pay for the Christmas meals they gave to many families. They came up with an idea to dress up unemployed men as Santa Claus and send them onto the streets of New York to solicit donations. This is a tradition that continues today.
St. Nicholas also inspired a number of Europe traditions. In Germany and Switzerland, Christkind or Kris Kringle delivered presents to well-behaved children. Christkind was believed to be an angel-like figure who joined St. Nick on his holiday duties.
A jolly elf named Jultometen delivered gifts in a goat-drawn sleigh in Scandinavia. In Italy, a woman called La Befana is a kind witch who is said to deliver gifts to lucky children. French children leave their shoes for Père Noël to fill.
Of course, in Ireland and England, Santa visits each household on Christmas Eve and leaves presents for children.
The legend of St. Nicholas has certainly spread across the world and has grown with every generation that followed. Regardless of the traditions and celebrations, the holiday of Christmas was built around the act of kindness. This is still one of the most important elements of it today. It’s important to remember those who may not be as well off as you, just like St. Nicholas once did.
