The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1913-12-20
Ancestry Of Santa

wv The Jolly. roistering. pot
bellied, ever young old fel-
low that we know has made
Ehiss appearance .on. ,eaxth stn 80 SmqnI]
guises that the secret OF his Hrst COM
Ing threatens to remain forever yelled
in the midst Of antiquity. No one can
say with any certainty Just when he
first made his appearance among pre-
historic men. for merry old Santa In
one form or another delighted chill.
dren's hearts In many a pagan house
hold centuries before the commence
ment OF the Christian era and prior to
any recorded history.
The name Of Santa Claus. by which
he is known in America. Is the Dutch
pet name for st. Nicholas. The name
Kriss Kringle. by which he Is known
in England. Is a corruption Of Christ
KindIein or the Christ Child. But the
festivities that distinguish Christmas
existed long before Christianity. and
jolly god Of good cheer. appears as the
personiAcation OF the period from the
: earlisrr pagan times. Now the, Santa
Claus OF today Is simply. that. old toiiy
god sobered up, washed and purified.
The Dionysia of the Greeks. the Sat-
urnalia of the Romans. the Twelve
Nights Of the old Norsemen and of the
Teutons all celebrated the coming Of
the winter solstice. People then gave
themselves up to al, sorts Of revelry
and excess. In the Dlonysia the repre-
sentative figure was not the young
Dionysus or Bacchus. but the aged,
CHEEKY and disreputable Silenus. the
chief Of the Satyrs and the god Of
drunkards. In the Saturnalia 1t was
Saturn; In the Germanic, feasts 1t was
Thor. both long bearded and white
haired gods like Silenus.
Now. although the central figure Of
the Christian festival Is the child God.
the Christ Kindlein. the influence Of
long pagan custom was too strong
within the breasts Of the early Chris
tians to be easily superseded. The ira
dltion Of horny age as the true repre-
sentative Of the dying year and its at
tendant Publications still remained
smOldering under the ashes Of the
past 1t burst into new fame when
the past was too far back to be looked
upon with the fear and antagonism Of
the church and there seemed no longer
any danger Of a relapse Into paganism.
At first. however. the more dignified
representative was chosen as more In
keeping with the occasion. Saturn
was unconsciously rebaptized as St
A. 81 int hoe
festival occurs In December and who
as the patron Of young people Is espe-
cialiy fitted for the patronage Of the
festival which has come to be looked
upon as especially that OF the young
At first St Nicholas did not superscde
the Christ Child. but accompanied him
In his Christmas travels. ass indeed, he
still does In certnin rural neighbor-
hoods Of Europe where the modern
spirit has been least felt
ST. Nicholas, according to the hagi-
ologist was bishop Of Myra. who
fourished early In the fourth century.
He is the patron Of children and
schoolboys.
II IL strange that everywhere St
Nicholas Is most honored and his feast
day most observed the most pious and
instructed among the common people
know little Of the legend Of the saint
He II treated with that mixture Of Sc
robustness and frivolity which becomes
q dying myth.
In southern Germany and Austria q
youth CARRIED as St Nicholas and ac-
companied by two angels and whole
truop OF devils In hldeous masquerade.
with blackened faces and cianking
chsins. on Dee. 8 (St Nicholas festaf
day, mikes round OF certain houses
where the little ones OF the village
have been collected. To the good chill
dren he brings gifts OF nuts and ap-
pies. while the naughty ones are LEFT
TO the devices Of the satanic followers
in his train.
| In many places the bugbcnr over.
shadows In Importance both the Christ
| Child and st. Nicholas. He appears
under different names and In different
guises. In Lower Austria he Ia the
| frightfui Krnmpus. with his cianking
chains and horrible devils mask. who.
notwithstanding his gilded nuts and
apples. gingerbread and toys. which
he carries in his basket. Ii the terror
Of the nurSery. In Hanover. HoIsteiu
and Neck lenburg he Ia known Nc Clas.
In Silesin his name II Joseph.
Sometimes the bugbear was q female.
In lower Austria she was called the
Bndclfran. In Sunbla II was the
BerchfeI who chnstised children. that
did NOT spin diligently. with rods. bnt
rewarded the Industrious with dried
pears. apples aud nuts.
The female bcgy survives especially
IN Russia and In Italy. In the former
place she b known an the Baboushka.
In the latter a. the Befana. Befana 10
O corruption Of EpiphnnIa. or Epipba-
ny. for II % on Epiphany. Jan. Q. that
the Jtaiiana make prsrents to their
children isScommeshoratio Of the gifts
given bylths three lvi9gs men to Christ
on that date.