The origins of Santa Claus.

The winter is coming and the first thought that we have is about Christmas, and there can’t be a Christmas without that red plump old man who enters by the chimney and brings gifs to all the kids who had good behavior along the year, we are talking about Santa Claus, we think we know all about him, nonetheless, where this kind white-bearded old man is come from?, why is always wearing red clothes? It's an invent from Coke?.

The man behind the story of Santa Claus was a bishop named Saint Nicholas who lived in the IV century in Myra, Greek. His parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money, he had a good reputation because he helped the poor by giving secret gifts to people who needed it. There are a lot of legends around St. Nicholas, nevertheless, we don’t if all of them are true; but we were able to assent that he was a very kind bishop. Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint.

In a story, St. Nicholas gave a bag filled with gold coins secretly to a three woman who his father doesn’t have enough money to get married. So, Nicholas dropped the bag down the chimney and into the house. Some sailors pray to him to protect them.

    

Saint Nicholas was put in prison during the persecution of Christians by the Emperor Diocletian. He died on 6th December in an unknown year, in the middle of the IV century. His bones are now kept in the Church named after him in the Italian port of Bari. On his feast day (6th December), the sailos of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to sea, so that he can bless the waters and so give them safe voyages along the year.

In the XVI century in northern Europe the stories and traditions around St Nicholas became unpopular. But a kind character who brings presents continues around Europe, in France, he was then known as Pere Noel , in the UK became Father Christmas, in Austria and Germany the present giver became the Christkind. In the early USA his name was Kris Kringle, and later dutch settlers in that country took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle and St Nicholas became Sinterklaas or as we now say Santa Claus.

St Nicholas became popular again in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories. The book ‘Knickerbocker’s History of New York’(Washington Irving, 1809) described for the first time a Nicholas who smokes in a pipe while he is flying over the roof of the houses in a flying wagon bringing presents to the good children.

In 1821, an anonymous poem titled ‘The Children’s Friend’ in that poem the character’s religious tones were removed and dressed as the ancient germanic gift bearers. In 1822 Clement Clark Moore wrote ‘A Visit From St. Nicholas’ described Santa Claus as a happy old man who rides a sled with eight reindeer and gives them their names: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen.

The UK Father Christmas and the American Santa Claus became more and more alike over the years and are now one and the same.

In January 1863, Thomas Nast made an illustration of St Nicholas. Over the next 20 years Thomas continued to draw Santa every Christmas and his work was very popular.

 

This is when Santa really started to develop his tummy and the style of red and white outfit he wears today. He made these draws taking as references some historical information about Santa and the poem ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’.

In 1931, the classic ‘Coke Santa’ was drawn by artist Haddon Sundblom, he took the idea of Nast’s Santa but made him ever more jolly, older and replaced the pipe with a glass of Coke.

In SINESIS Next Generation, we wish you all have a happy holidays!

[DS]