The History and Legend of Santa Claus AKA Santa Claus From the 19th century: Thomas Nast's vision of old Saint Nick. Every December 24th millions of people are visited by a short, fat guy in a red suit. Where did he come from, why does he do it, and how does he accomplish this seemingly impossible task? Santa Claus... Kris Kringle...Old Saint Nick... We see him on advertising posters, in parades, at departments stores...who is this guy and why does he have so many aliases? Well, the original St. Nicholas lived in southwestern Turkey in the 4th century. As the bishop of Myra he was credited with doing a number of miracles involving sailors and children. After his death this led him to become the patron saint of both groups as well as for unmarried girls. As a saint he was given his own "feast day" that was celebrated on December 6th. At about the same time Nicholas lived, Pope Julius I decided to establish a date for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. As the actual time of year for this event was unknown, the Pope decided to assign the holiday to December 25th.

There had long been a pagan midwinter festival at this time of year and the Pope hoped to use the holiday to christianize the celebrations. Eventually, Saint Nicholas's feast day also became associated with December 25th and his connection with Christmas was established. A tradition developed that he would supposedly visit homes on Christmas Eve and children would place nuts, apples, sweets and other items around the house to welcome him. As the reformation took a hold of much of Europe, however, the popularity of St. Nicholas dropped in most Protestant countries, with the exception of Holland where he was referred to as "Sinter Klaas." After this tradition came to the United States, "Sinter Klass" would eventually be corrupted to "Sancte Claus." America's Santa Saint Nicholas or "Sancte Claus," in a woodcut by Alexander Anderson done for the New York Historical Society. It's been said that Dutch settlers brought the tradition of Saint Nicholas to the North American city of New Amsterdam (which the British would later rename "New York"). However, research shows there's little evidence that Nicholas played much of a part in these early settlers' celebrations.

It seems more likely that Saint Nicholas became an American tradition during a wave of interest in Dutch customs following the Revolutionary War. Washington Irving (of Sleepy Hollow fame) included him a comic History of New York City written in 1809. John Pintard, founder of the New York Historical Society, took an especially keen interest in the legend and the Society hosted its first St. Nicholas anniversary dinner in 1810. Artist Alexander Anderson was commissioned to draw an image of the Saint for the dinner. He was still shown as a religious figure, but now he was also clearly depositing gifts in children's stockings which were hung by the fireplace to dry. Perhaps nothing has fixed the image of Santa Claus so firmly in the American mind as a poem entitled A Visit from St. Nicholas written by Clement Moore in 1822. Moore, a professor of biblical languages at New York's Episcopal Theological Seminary, drew upon Pintard's thinking about the early New Amsterdam traditions and added some elements from German and Norse legends. These stories held that a happy little elf-like man presided over midwinter pagan festivals. In the poem, Moore depicts the Saint as a tiny man with a sleigh drawn by eight miniature reindeer.

They fly him from house to house and at each residence he comes down the chimney to fill stockings hung by the fireplace with gifts. Moore had written the poem for the enjoyment of his own family, but in 1823 it was published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel. It became very popular and has been reprinted countless times under the more familiar title, The Night Before Christmas. Where did Moore get the reindeer? The Saami people of northern Scandinavia and Finland often used reindeer to pull their sledges around and this found its way into the poem. Reindeer, which are much sturdier animals than North American deer,are well adapted to cold climates with their heavy fur coats and broad, flat hooves for walking on snow. Norman Rockwell's 1921 cover for the magazine The Country Gentleman shows Santa with his modern red and white theme. As time went by, more and more was added to the Santa Claus legend. Thomas Nast, a 19th century cartoonist, did a series of drawings for Harper's Weekly. Nash's vision of Santa had him living at the North Pole.

Nash also gave him a workshop for building toys and a large book filled with the names of children who had been naughty or nice. The 19th century Santa was often shown wearing outfits of different colors: purple, green and blue in addition to red. This slowly faded out so that by the beginning of the 20th century the standard image of Santa Claus was a man in a red suit trimmed with white. The Coca-Cola company has often been cited for cementing the image of Santa with the colors red and white through a series of popular advertisements in the 1940's depicting Saint Nick enjoying their product (Coca-Cola's company colors are red and white). However, Santa was already well associated with these colors by that time. American artist Norman Rockwell had done a number of paintings with Saint Nick wearing red and white including A Drum for Tommy which appeared on the cover of The Country Gentleman in 1921. The truth is that by the time the Coke ads came out, Santa, in the public's mind, was already wearing only the modern version of his colors.

Santa Physics Santa has been very popular in the 20th and 21st centuries but in the past few years he has had a few detractors. In January of 1990, an article appeared in Spy magazine under the name of Richard Waller that was skeptical of Santa's capability to do what he supposedly does each Christmas Eve. The article, after its initial appearance in the magazine, was republished innumerable times on the web and emailed all over the Internet. Among other things Waller calculated that Santa, moving from east to west around the globe, could use the different time zones and the rotation of the Earth to extend his night for as long as 31 hours. Since he needs to visit approximately 92 million households (the number of Christian children divided by the average number of children per household) according to Waller this means he needs to travel approximately 75.5 million miles. The article states that the distance divided by the time means Santa's sleigh must move at a speed of 650 miles per second, 3000 times faster than the speed of sound, to complete its route. What about Rudolph?

Almost as popular as Santa himself is his sometimes lead reindeer with a glowing red nose, Rudolph. Unlike Santa's history, the story of Rudolph can be traced back to a specific author: Robert L. May. May was a copywriter for Montgomery Ward department stores in 1939. The company had been buying and giving away coloring books at Christmas time for many years. May's boss thought they could save some money by printing their own books and asked May to come up with a story. May thought up the idea of a misfit reindeer who saves the day for Santa on a foggy Christmas Eve. The story took off, but unfortunately May did not own the rights. His employer, Montgomery Ward, did. With a generosity not often seen in the corporate world, in 1947 the company's President turned the rights over to May, who was in debt because of his wife's terminal illness. With a hit song written in 1949 by May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, and a TV special in 1964, May's financial security was assured and Rudolph earned a permanent spot in American Christmas pop culture.

Waller then went on to calculate that if every child gets a two-pound present, Santa's sleigh must weigh about 321,300 tons. He then ups that figure to 353,430 tons to account for some 214,200 reindeer he thinks would be needed to pull that heavy a sleigh. This total weight is about four times that of the Queen Elizabeth. The article ends by noting that if the sleigh and team attempt to move through the atmosphere at 650 miles per second they would be exposed to enormous air resistance (the same way a spacecraft gets heated upon reentering the atmosphere) and they would explode in flames. Waller sarcastically ends the article noting that if there ever was a Santa, given the acceleration forces such a flight would subject him to, he must now be dead. High-Tech Saint Nick Numerous rebuttals have been written to the Spy magazine article. Some point out that there are flaws in Waller's calculations or assumptions. For instance, the payload problem could be handled by making numerous returned trips to the pole.

It increases the length of the total trip by a tiny fraction, but divides the weight of the sleigh by the number of return trips. Other writers note that Christmas does not come on the same day in all countries. Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas a few days after December 25th which means Santa gets at least two shots a year to complete his mission. One writer noted that the number of stops needed in the calculation is incorrect since dividing the total number of children by the average number of children per household to get the number of stops does not consider families where there are no children at all. Roger Highfield, who wrote the book Can Reindeer Fly? The Science of Christmas, suggests that Wallers has not considered that Santa might have some high tech solutions to his problems. For example, "inertial dampers" - a device that's referred to in the Star Trek movies to keep the crew from getting shmoshed as the Enterprise accelerates to Warp 8 - could be used by Santa to solve his high-acceleration problems. The technology isn't known to our science, but to Santa, well, who knows? In fact some people have even suggested that Santa has the technology to manipulate time.

By creating an artificial time bubble around his sleigh and his person, he could speed himself up as much as he needed. Again, this is far beyond human technology, but... However Santa does it, he seems to manage each year to delight millions of children on Christmas morning as he has done for over a century. Perhaps it's just magic. Copyright 2003 Lee Krystek. All Rights Reserved. Where Does Santa Claus Come From - Beliefnet Beliefnet Sign up for our free newsletters and special offers! Just enter your email below. Inspiration Delivering you the best in inspirational articles, life stories, quotes and more. Bible Reading Receive a Daily Measure of God's Word and guidance straight to your inbox. Angel Wisdom Let angels be your guide with help from this inspiring and thought-provoking newsletter. Entertainment Where Does Santa Claus Come From? The origins of holiday traditions and the history of St. Nick. The origins of our Christmas traditions are the most fascinating of any holiday. All our favorite activities can be traced back to specific points in history, and knowing how these things came about just makes celebrating Christmas that much more wonderful.

For instance: In 2010, Santa Claus is celebrating his 1,730th birthday! The original Nicholas was born in 280 A.D. in the small country of Lycia, which is now part of modern-day Turkey. Nicholas became first a priest and then a bishop in the early Christian church. The very first paintings of him show Nicholas wearing the ceremonial robes of a Christian bishop – red trimmed with white. When we see “Santa’s suit” today, we’re seeing those same colors. Nicholas became famous for gift-giving, usually to the poor. In the early fourth century a legend began to spread about Nicholas coming at night to the home of three poor girls who did not have dowries and therefore could not marry their fiancés. While the girls slept, Nicholas left gold coins in their stockings, which were drying by the fire. That’s how our tradition of Santa filling stockings got its start. Santa is known my many names all over the world. He became “Santa Claus” in America because many of the first English colonists to arrive to not celebrate Christmas; as Puritans they felt the holiday was disrespectful to Jesus.

But their children saw the children of Dutch settlers receiving gifts from someone called “St. Nicholas.” They thought the gift-giver’s name was “Sinter Klass” and anglicized it further to “Santa Claus.” Many people think Santa’s reindeer were introduced to the holiday in Clement Moore’s wonderful poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” which most of us now call “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Moore wrote about Santa and the eight reindeer in 1822. But in 1809 another great American author named Washington Irving wrote a book titled Diedrich Knickerbocker, and in it he wrote about St. Nicholas delivering presents to children “by flying over the treetops in a wagon.” Clement Moore simply expanded on that previous description. The first department store Santa appeared in 1841 at J.W. Parkinson’s Dry Goods store in Philadelphia. This Santa tried to slide down a chimney to impress the children who were watching, but he got stuck halfway down. During the Civil War, a magazine artist named Thomas Nast began drawing cartoons of Santa as a diversion for readers from the horrors of war.

He sketched Santa as living at the North Pole, and having a lot of elves as his assistants. Everyone believed that must be true. Mrs. Claus began appearing in Christmas lore in the late 1880s. In 1889 a poet/composer named Katharine Lee Bates wrote a poem called “Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride.” (Wives in those days were often referred to as “good wives,” or “goody” for short.) In the poem, Mrs. Claus tells Santa that she will deliver gifts that year, since it’s not fair that he gets to have all the fun. In 1910 another poem of Ms. Bates was set to music and published as a song everyone knows – America the Beautiful. In 1890 department store Santas began appearing all over America, especially on the East Coast around Boston. They were so popular that parents in other cities joined together and hired passenger trains to take their families to see these Santas. About this same time, Ralph E. Morris of the New England Telephone Company looked at switchboard lights and proposed that strings of them be hung on Christmas trees- they would be safer than candles.

Our modern-day image of Santa as a stout man is based on Coca-Cola ads from the 1930s. Artist Hans Sundblom used as his model a retired salesman named Les Prentice. How Did Santa Claus Get Started? From St. Nicholas To The Kris Kringle Of Today [PHOTOS] How Did Santa Claus Get Started? From St. Nicholas To The Kris Kringle Of Today [PHOTOS] 12/24/13 AT 6:43 PM Close The Santa Claus that we know today – the fat, jolly, bearded and bespectacled Christmas symbol – wasn’t always that way. So how did Santa start? The story begins hundreds of years ago, in the Third century, with St. Nicholas, a monk who was born in the country known today as Turkey around 280 A.D. Depictions of the saint back then showed him as a thin man and not the rotund figure that’s widely recognized today. [[nid:1520010]] St.

Nicholas was originally known for his generosity, and the following story ties in that character trait with the Santa we know of today, as told by whychristmas.com : “There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married.One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas.” St. Nicholas eventually became known “as the protector of children and sailors,” with his feast day being celebrated on Dec. 6, the anniversary of his death, according to history.com . “This was traditionally considered a lucky day to make large purchases or get married,” according to history.com.

Fast forward to the 18th century, when St. Nicholas’ legend was brought to America by Dutch settlers in New York, who were influential in what was then called New Amsterdam. The Dutch gave St. Nicholas the nickname “Sinter Klaas,” a derivation of the Dutch Sint Nikolaas, or St. Nicholas. Roughly 100 years later is when Santa Claus started to resemble the Kris Kringle of popular culture, when giving gifts to children around Christmastime started becoming mainstream. The modern image of Santa Claus took shape in part to Clement Clark Moore, whose Christmas poem “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” (also known more popularly as ‘’Twas the Night Before Christmas’) described the saint as a “right jolly old elf” with a paunch. It was that poem that cartoonist Thomas Nast took as inspiration for his drawing of Santa Claus as a rotund figure with a white beard and holding toys for children. Nast is also given credit for associating Santa with his North Pole workshop, elves, and Mrs. Claus.

[[nid:1520012]] The retail industry also followed suit with these images of Santa, including Coca-Cola, which some still wrongly believe created Kris Kringle: [[nid:1520014]] “Stores began to advertise Christmas shopping in 1829, and by the 1840s, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements, which often featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus,” history.com notes. A life-size Santa Claus was on display in Philadelphia in 1841, and the Salvation Army continued that the tradition of the modern Santa Claus in the early 1890s. The charity had men dress up as Santa Claus – with the now popular red and white robes and beards – to solicit donations. Santa Claus:Where Did That Guy in the Red Suit Come From? All comments should be directed to Michael McCann at > mccann@nc.rr.com Santa Claus: Where Did That Guy in the Red Suit Come From? The origin of Santa Claus depends on which country's story you choose to adopt. Santa Claus comes from the Dutch words "Sinter Klaas", which is what they call their favorite saint, St. Nicholas.

He is said to have died on December 6, A.D. 342. December 6th is celebrated as his feast day, and in many countries this is the day he arrives with his presents and punishments. Nicholas lived in what is now called Turkey. He was born about A.D. 280 in the town of Patras. His parents were wealthy and he was well educated. Nicholas seems to have had a remarkable childhood. While still a young boy he was made Bishop of Myra, and because of this he has been known ever since as the Boy Bishop. He was renowned for his extreme kindness and generosity – often going out at night and taking presents to the needy. Santa's rise to fame can be traced to two legends – the three daughters and the children at the Inn. The Three Daughters The first story shows his generosity. There were three unmarried girls living in Patras who came from a respectable family, but they could not get married because their father had lost all his money and had no dowries for the girls. The only thing the father thought he could do was to sell them when they reached the age to marry.

Hearing of the imminent fate, Nicholas secretly delivered a bag of gold to the eldest daughter, who was at the right age for marriage but had despaired of ever finding a suitor. Her family was thrilled at her good fortune and she went on to become happily married. When the next daughter came of age, Nicholas also delivered gold to her. According to the story handed down, Nicholas threw the bag through the window and it landed in the daughter's stocking, which she had hung by the fire to dry. Another version claims that Nicholas dropped the bag of gold down the chimney. By the time the youngest daughter was old enough for marriage, the father was determined to discover his daughters' benefactor. He, quite naturally, thought that she might be given a bag of gold too, so he decided to keep watch all night. Nicholas, true to form, arrived and was seized, and his identity and generosity were made known to all. As similar stories of the bishop's generosity spread, anyone who received an unexpected gift thanked St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas and Children Another one of the many stories told about St. Nicholas explains why he was made a patron saint of children.

On a journey to Nicaea, he stopped on the way for the night at an inn. During the night he dreamt that a terrible crime had been committed in the building. His dream was quite horrifying. In it three young sons of a wealthy Asian, on their way to study in Athens, had been murdered and robbed by the innkeeper. The next morning he confronted the innkeeper and forced him to confess. Apparently the innkeeper had previously murdered other guests and salted them down for pork or had dismembered their bodies and pickled them in casks of brine. The three boys were still in their casks, and Nicholas made the sign of the cross over them and they were restored to life. Where did religion come in? … In newly Christianized areas where the pagan Celtic and Germanic cults remained strong, legends of the god Wodan were blended with those of various Christian saints; Saint Nicholas was one of these. There were Christian areas where Saint Nicholas ruled alone; in other locations, he was assisted by the pagan Dark Helper (the slave he had inherited from the Germanic god Wodan). In other remote areas, where the Church held little power, ancient pockets of the Olde Religion controlled traditions.

Here the Dark Helper ruled alone, sometimes in a most confusing manner, using the cover name of Saint Nicholas or "Klaus," without in any way changing his threatening, Herne/Pan, fur-clad appearance. (This was the figure later used by the artist Nast as the model for the early American Santa Claus.) The Catholic Saint Nicholas also had a confusing past. He was a compilation of two separate saints (one from Myra in Asia Minor, the other from Pinora), both of whom were – as the Church now admits – nothing more than Christianized water deities (possibly related to the Greco-Roman god Poseidon/Neptune.) After the Vikings raided the Mediterranean, they brought the Christian Saint Nicholas cult from Italy to northern Europe, and there proceeded to build Saint Nicholas churches for the protection of their sailors. When, for instance, William the Conqueror's fleet was hit by a storm during his invasion of England, he is known to have called out for protection to Saint Nicholas.

Although in those days, church services only mentioned Saint Nicholas as the protector of seafarers, they initially condoned a blending of the Mediterranean Nicholas myths with some that had been attached to the pagan Germanic god Wodan and to those of the even earlier Herne/Pan traditions. By absorbing such pagan feasts and traditions, the Christian Church could subtly bring in its own theology: in this case, establishing the good Saint Nicholas, bringer of love and gifts, while grudgingly allowing the presence of the Olde Religion's Herne/Pan, but only as a slave to Saint Nicholas. Thus, in parts of Europe, the Church turned Herne into Saint Nicholas' captive, chained Dark Helper; none other than Satan, the Dark One, symbolic of all evil. His only remaining tasks now were to carry the bag, scare maidens and children into devout behavior, and drag sinners and pagans off to the Christian hell. Yet, in spite of this character assassination, the poor masses continued to see in this enslaved Dark Helper a reflection of their own enslavement. He remained their Herne, thumbing his nose at the Christian Church; a mischievous, nostalgic reminder of the days of their own free and lusty pagan past.

In Holland and several other European countries, the Saint Nicholas figure is still highly esteemed. He appears as a tall dignified bearded white-haired old man dressed as a Catholic bishop complete with cloak, mytre, and pastoral staff, a seemingly genuine Catholic saint, but with a bizarre quite unsaintly habit of riding through the skies on a white horse followed by his Dark Helper. It seems that our Catholic saint inherited some of these customs from the pagan Germanic god Wodan, who had also been a bearded, white-haired old man, also dressed in a hat and cloak, carried a staff (or spear), rode a holy white horse and dragged along the same dark slave/helper on a chain. The Dutch Sinterklaas brings gifts to good children, while bad children are harassed by Zwarte Piet, the Dark Helper, who – brandishing his peculiar broom-like rod – threatens to put sassy young women and naughty children in the sack in which he has carried the gifts, the idea being that he will take them away to some terrible place in Spain (where Saint Nicholas, for no known historical reason, was supposed to have come from).

This, of course, never happens since the good Christian Sinterklaas always intervenes on behalf of the naughty child – provided the child promises to better his or her ways. The bad (pagan) Dark Helper is then admonished by Sinterklaas and ordered to stop threatening the children. Next, Sinterklaas distributes gifts to all "who have been good" (or until the twentieth century, to all "who knew their prayers"). In exchange, the children are supposed to leave food offerings for the saint's horse (usually hay and carrots), placed in either a shoe or stocking. In some areas, a glass of gin is also left as an offering for the good saint himself. When, by daybreak, the offerings have disappeared and been replaced by gifts, it proves that Sinterklaas has indeed paid a visit during the night. We can clearly recognize in all this the lesson taught the pagans by the Christian Church, here represented by Saint Nicholas: You may enjoy your old fall/winter feasts, as long as you have learned your prayers and become good Christians.

You will then be rewarded, but if you have not done so, you will be dragged away to hell by your own fearful, pagan past and its representative, the dark Herne/Pan – who is none other than Satan himself – unless you repent, here and now! St. Nicholas with a European Flair … Nicholas' natural affinity with children led him to be adopted as their patron saint, and his generosity to the custom of giving gifts to them on his feast day. The custom became especially widespread in the Low Countries, where the Dutch seamen had carried reports home of the saint's generosity. St. Nicholas was, however, a tremendously popular saint everywhere. Both Russia and Greece adopted him as their patron saint, and there are more churches in the world named after him than any of the apostles (especially The Netherlands). In the European countries, St. Nicholas is usually pictured as a bearded saint, wearing ecclesiastical robes and riding a white horse. He carries a basket of gifts for the good children and a batch of rods for the naughty ones. In old Czechoslovakia, Svaty Mikulas was brought down from heaven on a golden cord by an angel.

When he arrived on Christmas Day, the children rushed to the table to say their prayers. If they did well, he told the angel who came with him to give them presents. In parts of the Alps, "ghosts of the field" cleared the way for St. Nicholas. Behind them came a man wearing a goat's head, and a masked demon with a birch switch. In Germany, twelve young men dressed in straw and wearing animal masks danced along after St. Nicholas, ringing cowbells. At each house, after gifts were given, the masked men drove the young people out and pretended to beat them! For the children of the Netherlands, December 6th is still more exciting than Christmas Day, for then St. Nicholas arrives. His arrival is celebrated and this is the day when children receive their presents. The excitement begins on the last Sunday in November, where everywhere can be heard the words, "Look there is the steamer bringing us St. Nick!" St. Nicholas traditionally arrives by sea and disembarks at Amsterdam. He then mounts a white horse for a processional ride through the streets.

Clothed in a bishop's scarlet cope and mitre, he wears white gloves and an enormous bishop's ring on his left hand. Black Peter accompanies Nicholas. St. Nicholas' arrival is greeted with cheers from the thousands of children and adults who line the route. Supposedly the bishop came from Spain. This story can be traced back to the sixteenth century when the Spanish dominated the Low Countries. The doublet, puffed velvet breeches, hose and plumed berets worn by his attendants – in particular Black Peter – are another forcible reminder of that period. Black Peter carries a large sack in which he is said to put all the boys and girls who have misbehaved during the course of the last 12 months. With bad kids in his sack, Black Peter then takes them away to Spain. Immigrants to the New World must have recognized something familiar in the little figure of St. Nick. His fur costume suggested Pelz-Nicol to a Bavarian, and the little gnome-like figure Jule-nissen to a Scandinavian. His elfish qualities rang bells with other nationalities too, for example the Irish with their tradition of the "little people".

In many ways, Santa was recognizable for many people, which probably helps to explain why he was adopted so readily – a new, but familiar, symbol for a new country. Gift-Giving Comes of Age As in many other European countries, if presents were exchanged at this season, it was usually done at New Year's Eve and they were between adults rather than for children. In the 1840s, however, there was an increasing emphasis on Christmas Day. This seems to have happened for several reasons. The press – which now reached a far wider audience – stressed the fact that Christmas Day was the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Birthdays had always been a day for giving presents and it was a natural step to celebrate Jesus' birth by giving gifts on that day. Before Christmas had been banned by Oliver Cromwell from 1644 to 1660, there had been an old custom of giving sweets and small presents to children on Christmas Day. This had virtually stopped, but now the custom was enjoying a revival, in part because of the many articles that were being written in the Christmas editions of magazines about the "old traditions" of Christmas.

Another influential element was that, just as in America, children were becoming a greater focus in society, and it seemed appropriate to use this time to give them greater emphasis. The importation of the Christmas tree from Germany, and the accompanying rituals of gift giving on Christmas Eve, gave further impetus to the idea of presents. Santa Claus provided the final influence. By the end of the century, Christmas Day was firmly fixed – in England at least – as a children's festival and the day on which presents were given. Santa Claus, or "Father Christmas", came back into English Christmas festivities when people were reminded of him from America. This injected new life into the English Christmas and was the answer to those who prayed that Father Christmas and his customs may be restored "to some portion of their ancient honours". Celebrations around the midwinter solstice had been used for gift giving since Roman times. At the Roman winter festival – called the Saturnalia because they worshipped Saturn as the god of everything that grew – the Romans had a public holiday that lasted for a week. Everyone took part in the feasting and games. Even the slaves were made free for a day and allowed to say and do what they liked.

People exchanged presents; a custom called Strenae, as a symbol of goodwill. At first, these gifts were green boughs from the grove of the goddess Strenia. Later, gifts were given of sweet pastries to ensure a pleasant year, precious stones, gold or silver coins to symbolize wealth, and, the most popular of all, candles as a symbol of warmth and light. As the Roman Empire spread, so did this custom of gift giving to other parts of the world. Since the Saturnalia marked the beginning of a new year, in most countries presents were given on New Year's Day, not Christmas Day. The advent and spread of Christianity caused the gift giving to be moved to other times of the year. In Germany, the packages of Christmas gifts were called "Christ-bundles" and often came in bundles of three. There was something rewarding, something useful and something for discipline. In the seventeenth century, a typical bundle would contain candy, sugarplums, cakes, apples, nuts, dolls and toys. The useful things would be clothes, caps, mittens, stockings, shoes and slippers.

The gifts "that belong to teaching, obedience and discipline" were items such as ABC tables, paper, pencils, books and the "Christ-rod". This rod, attached to the bundle, was a pointed reminder for good behavior. Another way of presenting gifts was the old German custom of the "Christmas ship", in which bundles for children were stored away. To some extent, this custom was also adopted in England, but never with the same degree of popularity. In the centuries before Santa Claus was well known, and still today in many countries where he has not been widely adopted, the child Jesus is the gift-bringer. He comes with the angels during the night, trimming the tree and putting the presents underneath. In Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, the child Jesus (el Nino Jesus) brings Christmas gifts for the children during Holy Night. He is found in the morning in the previously empty crib, and all the presents are arranged in front of it. The German name of the Christ Child is Christkind, commonly used in its diminutive form Christkindel. His messenger, a young girl with a golden crown who holds a tiny "Tree of Light", brings the gifts of the Christ Child.

Still today in America, "Kriss Kringle" – deriving from the German Christkindel – is another name used for Santa Claus. Santa may appear under different names and in different guises. For example, French children leave their shoes by the fireplace on Christmas Eve so that they can be filled with gifts by Pere Noel. In the morning they find that the shoes have been filled and that sweets, fruit, nuts and small toys have also been hung on the branches of the tree. In Sweden, the children wait eagerly for Jultomten, whose sleigh is drawn by the Julbocker, the goats of the thunder god Thor. With his red suit and cap, and a bulging sack on his back, he looks much like Santa Claus as we know him. In Denmark, too, the gift-bringer Julemanden carries a sack and is brought by reindeer. Elves known as Juul Nisse come from the attic, where they live, to help with the chores during Yuletide. The children put a saucer of milk or rice pudding for them in the attic and are delighted to find it empty in the morning. The children of Poland receive their gifts from the stars, while in Hungary the angels bring them.

Children of Syria receive theirs from the Youngest Camel on January 6th, which is Three Kings' Day. The children of Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and South American countries also receive gifts at this time as well as on Holy Night, but from the Three Kings. In Italy, an unusual figure is the gift bringer for children. It is the "Lady Befana" or "Bufana" (La Befana), the ageless wanderer. Apparently La Befana refused to go to Bethlehem with the wise men when they passed her door, and she has been searching for the Christ Child ever since. On the Eve of Three Kings' Day (Epiphany), she wanders from house to house, peering into the faces of the children and leaving gifts. On that day, the children roam the streets, blowing their paper trumpets and receiving the gifts which La Befana has given them. Her name comes from the word "Epiphany". In Russia, Kolyada is the name for Christmas. The word is derived from the old Roman Kalends, the celebration of the New Year at the first of January.

Kolyada is also the name of the white-robed woman who rides a sled drawn by a single white horse from house to house on Christmas Eve to bring gifts to the children. Kolya (Nicholas), who leaves wheat cakes on the windowsills, joins her. The gift bringer in Russia is also a legendary woman, called Babushka (Grandmother). She is said to have misdirected the Magi when they inquired their way to Bethlehem. According to another version, she refused hospitality to the Holy Family on its way to Egypt. Whatever her fault, she repented of her unkindness and, to make reparation for her sin, she now goes about the world on Christmas Eve looking for the Christ Child and distributing gifts to the children. Santa Invades New York In Europe, after the Reformation of the seventeenth century, the feast and veneration of Saint Nicholas was abolished in many places, including England, where a figure known as Father Christmas was substituted. Father Christmas is a winter deity, white-haired and bearded, who wears a crown of holly.

The German settlers brought their beliefs and stories about Saint Nicholas with them to this country during the two great waves of immigration, in the early 1700s and the middle 1800s, and Hollanders brought their Sinter Klaas to their settlement of New Amsterdam. As the English colonized New York, they adopted their Father Christmas, who did not bring gifts, to these traditions, and Santa Claus as we know him today was born. Washington Irving first described Santa's sleigh flying. The sleigh was said to be pulled by reindeer – giving St. Nick an exotic link with the far north – a land of cold and snow where few, if any, people traveled and was hence mysterious and remote. The reindeer, however, were not first told by Irving. In a publication called The Children's Friend, a writer had described in 1821 "Old Sante Claus with much delight, His reindeer drives this frosty night". Washington Irving, in A History of New York, published in 1809, helped create the Americanized version of this mythic figure when he described the saint as "laying a finger beside his nose" and dropping gifts down chimneys.

Clement Moore's "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" (popularly known as "The Night Before Christmas"} was published on December 23, 1823. Clement C. Moore told of eight reindeer and gave their names. Some scholars think that this poem was actually written by Henry Livingston, Jr., and there is compelling evidence to support this point of view. Perhaps Livingston had written a poem that Moore adapted. Whatever the case, in the now-famous poem, Santa is described as a "jolly old elf," with a team of eight reindeer, who comes to children on Christmas Eve Day, rather than December 6 or New Year's Day. One story recounts that Dr. Clement Moore was inspired to draw the present day Santa Claus by a short, chubby Dutch friend of his, who had sat by the fire telling stories of St. Nicholas. Thomas Nast is another contributor to the American development of Santa Claus. Although he was born in Bavaria in the 1840s, he came to the United States when he was six years old.

He grew up to become an editorial cartoonist and illustrator with flair; he is credited with creating and popularizing the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey, the symbols of the two major political parties. He is also considered the primary source for the way we picture Santa Claus because of a series of drawings he did for Harper's Weekly between 1863 and 1886. Not having the vaguest idea what Santa Claus was supposed to look like, the Bavarian-born Nast drew Santa Claus as the winter holiday figure he remembered from the mountain villages in his Bavarian Alps; a rather scary, less-than-friendly gnome, dressed in animal skins and carrying a short broom-like rod with which to threaten girls and boys. Over the years, Nast's Santa became a bit friendlier, until, in 1931, the Coca-Cola Company decided that they wanted to increase their sales to children. The law at the time did not allow advertisements showing children drinking Coca-Cola, so how about showing a friendlier Santa Claus, relaxing with a Coke served to him by children? The artist Haddon Sundblom was assigned to come up with a new, more commercial Santa.

Instead of Moore's elf or Nast's grumpy gnome, Sundblom came up with a large, jolly fellow in the well-known, bright red suit with white fur trim (the Coca-Cola colors). Together, Irving, Moore, Nast and Sundblom are largely responsible for the way we in America envision Santa Claus. Copyright 2001, Michael McCann with The Business Cafe. All Rights Reserved. All about Father Christmas Who is Father Christmas? When the celebrations of Christmas are fast approaching a simple ho-ho-ho or mention of reindeer and sleighs brings one name to mind for nearly everyone in the world. Father Christmas. He stands in a long tradition of gift bringers that appear around the turn of the year. History records many long and ancient traditions. The Romans gave gifts at Saturnalia and Kalends. Woden, or Odin, scattered gifts down on the children of the frozen north while they slept. Instead of trying to wipe out the tradition the early Christians welcomed it as a chance to give each other gifts in memory of the birth of the Christ child. Different countries subsequently developed their own traditions of who should bring the children's gifts.

In Spain it was the Three Kings, in Italy Befana and in Russia Baboushca. In parts of Germany it was an angel who brought the gifts, known as ChristKind in Germany when exported to the USA became Kriss Kringle (now a name given to Father Christmas). The tradition of gift giver goes way back into pre-Christian times but in more recent years the appearance of Santa Claus or Father Christmas has united many across the globe. Father Christmas is also known as St. Nicholas, a fourth-century Christian Saint from Myra about whom little is known. However many stories are told about him. One story tells of how he saved the lives of three boys who had been slaughtered by a village innkeeper and preserved in a barrel of brine. St. Nicholas raised the boys from the dead and then converted the innkeeper. It was this story that associated St. Nicholas with children. In the Middle Ages, St. Nicholas was everyone's favourite saint. He was patron saint of all kinds of people, including merchants, sailors and small boys. The best known of the St. Nicolas stories may well have an element of truth in it.

In Nicholas' home town, it is said, lived a family so poor that the father could not afford dowries for his three daughters. Nicholas determined to rescue them from starvation and distress, but without making his generosity known. So, when the eldest daughter was old enough to marry, he dropped a bag of gold in at her window by night. (Some say he dropped it down the chimney, where it fell into the shoe or stocking she had left on the hearth to keep warm). Nicholas did the same for the second and third daughters, but on the last occasion he was discovered by the grateful father. Nicholas swore him to secrecy. The 6th December is St. Nicholas' day and some countries celebrate by giving presents the night before. Every year, on the last Saturday in November, St Nicholas, dressed in bishop's robes and mitre, arrives by steamer at the port of Amsterdam, in Holland. With him is Black Peter, dressed in the costume of a Spaniard of the 16th century. St.

Nicholas disembarks, mounts a waiting white horse and rides off, accompanied by a jostling procession of children, first to the royal palace, where he is formally welcomed, then to his chosen headquarters for the season. Black Peter is supposed to be the Devil, now St. Nicholas' servant, come to punish any naughty children and do to the dirty work of taking presents down chimneys. Everyone in Holland gives presents on 5 December, St. Nicholas' eve, and every present should come as a surprise. Sometimes a tiny gift is wrapped in a huge box, or the parcel is hidden in an unexpected place - anything that makes it as much of a happy surprise as St Nicholas' first presents were said to be. In the sixteenth century, after the Reformation, saints went out of favour in Europe. However someone was needed to take the place of St Nicholas and give present at Christmas. In England, a merry old character from children's plays, known as Father Christmas, took over the job. France has Pere Noel, and in Germany the Christkind, or Christ child, gave gifts. In the United States of America his name became Kris Kringle. But Dutch settlers in America took St Nicholas with them.

They shortened his name to Class and called him Sinta Class, which soon became Santa Claus in English. He became very popular with everyone and American writers and artists gradually transformed the bishop in his robes and mitre into the familiar figure with white beard and robes and hat. No one is sure how St Nicholas' white horse turned into a pack of reindeer. A nineteenth-century book shows a picture of him with just one reindeer and in 1882 Dr Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem for his children about Santa Claus in which he described eight reindeer and gave them all names. But in Sweden he is still pictured drawn by mountain goats. The English Father Christmas came to look more and more like his American counterpart, and now Father Christmas and Santa Claus have become one and the same person. St. Nicholas Center ::: How Did Santa Begin? St Nicholas Center Collection When did Santa Claus begin? We all know that only God is eternal. So how did this wonderful Christmas character who is so giving begin? We didn't make him up. Saint Nicholas, whose name was changed over the years to Santa Claus, was a real person, a bishop in the church in the fourth century.

Saint Nicholas was born in Patara ( Asia Minor ) and later moved to Myra ( Demre in modern Turkey), where he was elected bishop. He died on Dec. 6 sometime between A. D. 326 and 341. Many stories have been told of his generosity. In Saint Nicholas' time, a young woman had to have a dowry (money or material things which she brought to her husband) before she could be married. It's a custom we have eliminated in our culture because we believe in the equality of women and men. Saint Nicholas wanted to help a poor nobleman with three daughters, but he wanted to do it anonymously (without anyone knowing who did it). He didn't want to be praised for his generosity. He gave for the joy of giving. So, three bags of gold were thrown through the nobleman's window. However, the nobleman found out who had given the gold for his daughters' dowries . After that, anonymous gifts of charity often were attributed to Saint Nicholas. This good man also spent several years in prison because of his faith. Many prisoners were converted to the Christian faith by his witness. The stories of Saint Nicholas came to America through the Dutch settlers in the state of New York.

He has changed through the years. Originally, he was dressed in his traditional Bishop's robes. It wasn't until the 20th century that he began to be dressed in the red and white outfit in which he appears to us now in the persons of his many "helpers." In fact, in 1874, the American cartoonist Thomas Nast drew him in a brown suit with brown fur trim. Dr. Clement C. Moore , a professor of Greek and Biblical Studies at General Theological Seminary of New York, wrote "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (more commonly know as "Twas the Night Before Christmas") in 1822. Only eight reindeer pulled Santa's sleigh until the song "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was written. Jesus, the Christ (the Messiah) is the most important person in the Advent /Christmas season. However, since Saint Nicholas conveys a spirit of generosity and love, we remember him and we too give gifts. Because Saint Nicholas gave us such a good example of helping the poor, Santa Claus may well be a healthy part of our celebrations.

As Allan Hauck wrote in Calendar of Christianity, If Santa Claus has become too commercial, too secularized, perhaps it is "because we have forgotten his historical origin in the beloved Bishop of Myra who obeyed Christ's command that we help all those who are in need." Used by permission of ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living . "Equipping people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly" Resources for responsible living since 1973 Santa Claus Facts, Origins, Christmas celebration in different countries, and fun Tidbits Santa' Origins Continued Santa Claus The American version of St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus originally came from the Dutch version called Sint Nikolaas or Sinterklaas. The Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (New York) brought this fun and lively tradition (some even say cult) to America. This version of Santa has given the current myth its visual form and these most curious traditions: A merry old man with red and white clothes Eight flying reindeer, later joined by Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. A home located on or near the North Pole The habit of filling socks or stockings with presents on the night of December 24th. Also the habit of entering houses through the chimney.

The most important single source for our modern day version of Santa Claus comes from the Christmas poem A Visit From St. Nicholas by Clement C. Moore. Written for his children in 1823, the family poem was later published for the general public and included what became the now famous picture of Santa Claus by Thomas Nast ( see below right ). Actually the old "cult" of Santa Claus incorporates many traditions: Christian and Pagan, Old Catholic, Scandinavian, Dutch, German and English. Santa brings us all together! Kids all over the world know who Santa is... And although he may be a little commercial, who can help, but love the jolly old elf? It's the Idea of giving that reminds us; we are all on this planet together, for the long run. So lets be kind to one another. ^ Back to Top Grandfather Frost The Russian Grandfather Frost has strong Pagan relations. He is always accompanied by his granddaughter Snegurochka (Snow girl), a merry girl who helps Grandfather Frost provide a New Year party for children as well as bringing them gifts. He wears a long fur coat covered by bright beautiful cloth (blue or red) trimmed in fur.

According to new tradition, Grandfather Frost and Snegurochka live in the town Veliky Ustug from which they begin their New Year journey by troika of white horses. Today Grandfather Frost is connected to New Year celebrations, but before 1917 he was much more related to Christmas. Grandfather Frost and Snegurochka visit children asking them to sing or read a poem, sometimes asking if they were good, and of course giving presents. ^ Back to Top Joulupukki This name comes from the country Finland. Literally meaning: Yule Buck. This Old pagan tradition remained strong in Finland but got a Christian flavor as time went by. Pagan people used to have festivities to ward off evil spirits. In Finland these spirits of darkness wore goat skins and horns. In the beginning this creature didn't give presents but demanded them. The Christmas Goat was an ugly creature and frightened children. It is unclear how this personality was transformed into the benevolent Father Christmas. Nowadays the only remaining feature is the name. The process was probably a continuous amalgamation of many old folk customs and beliefs from varied sources.

One can speak of a Christmas pageant tradition consisting of many personages with roles partly Christian, partly pagan: A white-bearded saint, the Devil, demons, house gnomes, whatnot.Nowadays the Joulupukki of Finland resembles the American Santa Claus. Popular radio programs from the year 1927 onwards probably had great influence in reformatting the concept with the Santa-like costume, reindeer and Korvatunturi (Mount Ear, near Polar Circle) as its dwelling place. Because there really are reindeer in Finland, and we are living up North, the popular American cult took root in Finland very fast. Maybe some caring soul decided the Joulupukki is just too scary for little kids. Today, Finland is one of the few countries where kids actually see Father Christmas in the act of delivering the presents and probably the only country where the Saint really does ask the children if they behaved during the year. In the United States and Canada, his name is Santa Claus. In China, he is called Shengdan Laoren. In England, his name is Father Christmas, where he has a longer coat and a longer beard. In France, he's known as Pere Noel.

In Germany, children get presents from Christkind (Christkindl in Austria and South Germany), the Christ Child. Customs of the Christmas Season in Spanish speaking countries have many similarities, and many variations. All of Latin America and Spain are predominantly Catholic. For many of these countries Baby Jesus, el Niño Jesus, brings gifts for children. In Costa Rica, Colombia, and parts of Mexico, the gift bearer is el Niño Jesus, “the infant Jesus.” In Brazil and Peru, he's called Papai Noel. In Puerto Rico, children receive gifts from the Three Kings on January 6th, also called the celebration of Epiphany , the 3 Kings' Day. Each child puts grass under their bed for the camels. In the morning the grass is replaced with gifts. Also, Puerto Rico, being part of the United States, does its major gift giving on December 25, with the Christmas Tree and Santa Claus - in this sense, Puerto Rico is totally Americanized. Epiphany remains a part of the holiday season in Puerto Rico and is a day off from school. Giving gifts then is more for traditional values than the actual gift-giving celebration.

Unless one wants to make a specific statement about the importance of maintaining traditional purity (anti-commercialism) and disassociation from American influence. However, the celebration of Epiphany is not just in Puerto Rico. Some nations say it is the 3 Kings who bring the toys, while others credit Baby Jesus, since it was He who received and wants to share. In Italy Babbo Natale, which means Father Christmas, is Santa. Children put a pair of their shoes by the door on the day before Epiphany and the following morning they find them filled with small gifts and candy. Italy, like Spain, Portugal and most of the Latin American nations ( or countries speaking Romance languages ), is mostly Catholic. December 25 is a day of more religious observance, remembering the birth of Christ. The Epiphany , called Little Christmas, is the day for gift giving. However, Babbo Natale does come on Christmas Eve in some parts of Italy. In Spain children leave their shoes under the Christmas tree the night of January 5th and presents from the Three Kings (Los Reyes Magos: Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar) appear the next morning.

Santa Claus is called Papa Noel and some children receive presents both days on December 24th (from Papa Noel) and on January 6th (from the Three Kings). In Morocco he is known as Black Peter In Japan, Santa Claus is called Santa Claus or just “Santa”. Children often call him “Santa no ojisan”, which means “Uncle Santa”. (This information comes to you via the courtesy of Mr. Kazuo Miyasako of Dokkyo University. Many thanks go to the readers of Lone Star Internet) In Sweden Jultomten visits the evening before Christmas day, pulling a big bag of julklappar (Christmas presents) in the deep snow. Pã Norsk ( in Norwegian ) “Julenissen” arrives on the evening of the 24th. In the Netherlands, he is called Kerstman. In Finland, he is called Joulupukki. Sinter Klaas in Dutch. He is much thinner than the American Santa Claus. He rides a white horse and gets help from numerous Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes) handing out gifts and candy. He arrives the first Saturday in November by Boat.

In the evenings, Dutch Children sing songs in front of the fire place or in the living room and leave their shoe with a present (drawing for Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet or a Carrot for Amerigo Sinterklaas' horse) In the mornings they will find their shoe filled with candy and small presents. On the 5th of December Dutch households have a “Pakjesavond” (Presents night) and exchange presents. In Russia, he is called Grandfather Frost that is “ded moroz” (the second “o” has its accent and the last “z” is pronouned as “s”.) He is also called Kris Kringle - which comes from the German term “the Christ Child” Clement C. Moore Many writers have been instrumental in designing the features of Christmas. One of the most influential was Clement Moore whose poem, The Night Before Christmas “ A Visit from St. Nicholas” , which depicted an early nineteenth century American Santa Claus, one which endures for all generations. Thomas Nast, the painter, got his inspiration from Moore's world famous poem. Thereafter no one could prevent the inevitable triumph of Moore's Santa.

^ Back to Top Thomas Nast Thomas Nast, a well known and respected painter, found inspiration for his extremely popular painting of today's Santa Claus from Clement C. Moore's world famous poem, The Night Before Christmas (“A Visit from St.Nicholas”) . Thereafter no one could prevent the inevitable triumph of Moore's lovable Santa. Thus Thomas Nast, a very real and now historical newspaper artist, was the VERY FIRST PERSON to paint the first definitive portrait of our present day Santa Claus in 1870. The History of Giving Presents at Christmas -- Christmas Customs and Traditions -- whychristmas?com The Yule Log Christmas Presents One of the main reasons we have the custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas, is to remind us of the presents given to Jesus by the Wise Men : Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. Frankincense was a perfume used in Jewish worship and, as a gift, it showed that people would worship Jesus. Gold was associated with Kings and Christians believe that Jesus is the King of Kings. Myrrh was a perfume that was put on dead bodies to make them smell nice and, as a gift, it showed that Jesus would suffer and die.

Christmas itself is really about a big present that God gave the world about 2000 years ago - Jesus! One of the most famous Bible verses, John 3:16, says: 'God loved the world so much, that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life.'. All over the world, families and friends give presents to each other. Most children around the world believe in a Christmas gift bringer . It's often St. Nicholas, Santa Claus or Father Christmas , but in Germany they believe that it is the Christkind, in Spain they believe it is the Wise Men and in Italy they believe it is an old lady called Befana. #96502360 / gettyimages.com These presents are also left in different places! In most of Europe, the presents are left in shoes or boots put out by the children. In Italy, the UK and the USA presents are left in stockings, often left hanging by a fire place. In many countries, presents for friends and family may be left under the Christmas Tree . In the UK, they are often opened on Christmas day morning with all the family together.

The custom of hanging stockings comes from the story of St. Nicholas. Presents are opened on different days over the world as well. The earliest presents are opened is on St. Nicholas' Eve on December 5th when children in Holland of ten receive their presents. On St. Nicholas' Day (6th December) children in Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic and some other European countries open some of their presents. Children in the UK, USA and many other countries, such as Japan , open their presents on Christmas Day, December 25th. The latest presents are opened on January 6th (a month after the earliest). This is known as Epiphany and is mainly celebrated in Catholic countries such Spain and Mexico . One popular way of giving presents in groups such as clubs, school classes and workplaces is to have a 'Secret Santa'. This is where you pull the name of someone else in the group out of a hat (or other container!). You then buy a present for that person. When the presents are given out (often at a Christmas party) each person is given their present but they have no idea which person in the group bought it for them!

Question: In which country did the idea of Father Christmas coming down the chimney and leaving presents originate?
Answer: USA