The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1913-12-26
Ancestry Of Santa
~ YHAT is Santa Claus age!
wv The jolly, roistering, pot
w bellied. ever young old fel-

w bellied. ever young old fel-
low that we know has made
his appearance on earth in so many
guises that the secret Of his first COM
ing threa tens to remain forever yelled
In the midst of antiquity. No one can
soy 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 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
Kindlein or the Christ Child. But the
festivities that distinguish Christmas
existed long before Christianity, and a
jolly god Of good cheer appears as the
personifcation Of the period from the
earlier pagan times. 1; 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 it was
Thor. both long bearded and white
haired gods like Silenus.
Now. although the central figure O,
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
t1ans to be easily superseded.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 nrst. however. the more dignified
representative was chosen as more in
keeping with the occasion. Saturn
was unconsciously rebaptized as St
Nicholas. the name Of the saint whose
festival occurs in December and who
as the patron Of young people is espe-
ciaily fitted for the patronage of the
FESTIVAL which has come to be looked
upon as especially that of the young.
At drst st. Nicholas did not superscde
the Christ Child. but accompanied him
10 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.
ologtst. was a bishop of Myra, who
nourished early in the fourth century.
de u the patron of children and
schoolboys.
t . strange that everywhere st.
Nich0las Is most honored and his feast
oay most observed the most pious and
,nstrMcted among the common people
Know little Of the legend of the saint.
he y treated with that mixture of Sc
llousness and frivolity which becomes
dying myth.
IN southern Germany and Austria
youth garbed as st. Nicholas and ac.
eompanied by two angels and a whole
uoop OF devils in hideous masquerade,
Win blackened faces and clanking
snains, on Dec (St Nicholas festal
way, makes round of certain houses
~nere the little ones of the village
sase been collected. To the good chill
s.en ne brings gifts of nuts and ap-
t'es. while the naughty ones are left
!ne devices Of the satanic followers
10 his train.
a many places the bugbear over
~. ~ru1aoows In Importance both the Christ
~uid and St Nicholas. He appears
.s aer Inherent names and in different
sss .ses In Lower Austria he Is the
hsutlul Krampus. with his clanking
no. s.ns and horrible devils mask, who.
.r..w,'tnstanding So, his gilded nuts and
hs hpes ssnSefbieadsa and stoys. which
~ ~ ries In his basket, is the terror
ma e n nursery. In Hanover. Holstein
Il ., ,M,ecklenburg he Is known as Clas.
soa Ills name IL Joseph.
In rlmes rsmes the bugbear was female.
Rnd.,wer dSwer Austria she was called the