Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1913-12-19
Ancestry Of Santa
VVYHAT is Santa Claus age?
~ The Jolly. roistering, pot
w bellied, ever young old fell

--S1ue5 sJOuys TO16lcTluSs put
w bellied, ever young old fell
low that we know has made
his appearance on earth in so many
guises that the secret of his first 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 be Is known
in England. is corruption Of Christ
Kindlein or the Christ Child. But the
festivities that distinguish Christmas
existed long before Christianity, and
jolly god of good cheer appears as the
personificaton of the period from the
earlier pagan times. Now the Santa .
Claus of today is simply that old jolly
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 all sorts Of revelry
and excess. In the Dionysia 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 it 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tians to be easily superseded.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
dition of hoary 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 relapse into paganism.
At first, however, the more dign1fied
representative was chosen as more in
keeping with the occasion. Saturn
was unconsciously rebaphzed as St
Nicholas, the name of the saint whose
festival occurs in December and who
as the patron Of young people is espe-
cially 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 supersede
the Christ Child, but accompanied him
in his Christmas travels. as, indeed, he
still does In certain 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
dourished early In the fourth century.
He is the patron of children and
,Schoolboys.
It is strange that everywhere St
Nicholas is most honored and his feast
iday most observed the most pious and
Instructed among the common people
know little Of the legend of the saint
/ He is treated with that mixture Of Sc
riousness and frivolity which becomes
. dying myth.
In southern Germany and Austria u
youth CARRIED as St Nicholas and &C.
companied by two angels and whole
troop of devils in hideous masquerade,
with blackened faces and clanking
chains. on Dec. (St Nicholas festal
day. makes a 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 bugbear over
shadows in importance both the Christ
Child and st. Nicholas. He appears
under different names and in different
'e1,iaes. In Lower Austria he is the
lfrightfui Krampus. with his clanking
chains and horrible devils mask. who,
notwithstanding his gilded nuts and
tUHp1COs 8Iu6Ot UICOO anu Soyos "oASA
The carries In bis basket, Is the terror
Of the nursery. In Hanover, Holstein
and Mecklenburg he rs known az Clas.
In silesia his name is Joseph.
Sometimes the bugbear was female.
In Lower Austria she was called the
Budelfrau. In Suabia it was the
Berchtel who chastised children. that
did not spin diligently. with rods. but
Rewarded the industrious With dried
pears, apples and nuts.
The female bogy survives especially
In Russia and In italy. In the former
place she is known as the Baboushka.
b the latter as the Refana. Befana u
corruption Of Epiphania OF Dpipha-
~. for It is on Epiphany. Jan. &, that
the Italians make presents to their
children In commenoration Of the gifts
given BY the three wise men to Christ
on that date.