Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-01-05
WHO Is SANTA CLAUSE

Fac Origin of the FrOsty-HEeaded
Old Wanderer of Christmas Eve.
He Turns out TO be Sc. NichO-
las, Archbishop of Myra.
On the twenty-first of this month,
Tuesday last, the sun is said to have
reached its lowest decline at the win
ter solstice, and on the twenty-sec-
Ond entered the sign of CapricorEus
or the Goat. This little clambering
animal symbOliZeS the climbing or
ascent of the sun, which on this date
begins anew its upward journey, and
so continues until the twenty-tirst of
June, when its highest altitude at
the summer sOlstice is attained. Our
Southern Santa Claus wears crown
of eternal verdure, his frosty lips
bear a sunny smile, his chilly feet
tread on flowers, and his pale man.
tie is fastened with rose. st.
Nicholas having been adopted by
the Russian nation as their patron,
it may be from them we received
our ideas of a white-bearded, fur
mounted, snOw-shOwered little fell
low, who, loaded with toys, bOnbOns
and books, and "the very things
most wished for all the year round"
blesSes the awakening children of
every merry Christmas. The origin
of Santa Claus is, of course, directly
traceable to the good st. Nicholas OF
old, archbishop of Myra, who be-
longed to the fourth century of tie
Christian era. The city of Patara,
in Lycia, a large and ancient prov
ince of Asia Minor, in which st.
Paul is said to have planted the
faith, was his birthplace. 1t would
seem that our more modern saint
has degenerated somewhat from the
sanctimOnious status of his illustri-
Gus predecessor, of whom it is af-
firmed, bygraveand reverend chrOn-
iclers. that even i'm his infancy, so
inbued was he with the spirit of no
illness, that on Wednesday and Fri
day, the appointed fast days of the
church, he refused to be sucked.
His early life was cOnsecrated to re-
ligiOn in the monastery of Sion,
near Myra, where his fervOr, zeal,
self-deniaI and noble charity at
length elevated him to the position
of abbot. subsequently the arch
bishopric of the Metropolitan church
falling vacant, Nicholas, the abbot,
was elected TO the exalted position,
which he held until his death. He
was buried in his own cathedral, at
Myra, the capital of Lycia, which
was an archiepiscOpal see of great
dignity, situated three miles from
Patara, his birthplace, and on the
shores Of the Mediterranean. Here
his relics were sacredly treasured
until, rs the ancient chronicle in
forms us, "certain merchants of Ba
ri, a seaport in the kingdom of Ma
pies, situated on the AdTiatie gulf,
sailed in three ships to Lycia, and
watched an opportunity when no
MohOmmedans were about, went to
the church in which the remains of
st. Nicholas were kept, which church
stood in a desert place, three miles
from the sea, and was guarded by a
small community of monks" They
broke open the marble coffin in
which Law the sacred bones, and
though the alarm was given and the
inhabitants pursued them To the
shore, the bold robbers reached their
ships in safety with their precious
spoil, and setting sail landed at Ba-
ri and deposited the hallOwed dust
in the church of st. Stephen. On
the first day marvellous cures were
effected upon invalids who crowded
10 the tomb, and since then the bur-
ial place of st. Nicholas of Bari has
been famous for pilgrimageS. He is
one of the most renowned and hon
ored of all the saints I; many church
g and affairs have been erected to
his memory, one of which was built
by the Emperor Justinian at Con-
stantinople, and for ages the Greek
and Latin churches have held his
memory in the greatest VeneratiOn.
Bari, where his bones rest, has its
own ancient and magnificent cathe-
dral, far surpassed by the splendid
grandeur Of the church of st. Mich
olas; and in England, it is said,
three hundred and seYenty-tWO
churches are named in his honor,
while the feast or fiesta of St. Nich0-
las in southern Italy is one of the
most remarkable of the country.
Pilgrims, with stats entwined with
the olive or the palm, and bearing
a gOurd, flock to the shrine OF the
great saint to drink of the magical
water which OOzes through the ma
five rock which forms his tomb.
The most miraculous powers are at
tributed To this water, and those
who Journey thither drag their dis
eased or crippled forms uncomplain-
ingly along, borne up by their be-
lief that AT the shrine of St. NichO-
las they have but to drink and to be
healed. j do not remember, says a
writer, to have ever heard on the
night of Christmas eve in any part
of America but Virginia, what are
now growing away, the "Waits."
The waits consist of half-dOzen,
more or less, of the midnight must
clans, who play in solemn tone
HYMNS or sacred airs for the benefit
of good, Wakeful Christians, and the
torment Of the other folks. The
"Waits' are very prone to indulge
in:
vAdeste Fideles,'
..Irpti triumphantes
ssNcnitc, venite IN Refinement
s.Natum Nidete,
.ssFRegem angelOrum, etc.
b,,t ;nvaAiablv fall into dissertation