Day 16: The History of Santa Claus
St. Nicolas
American Santa Claus
Santa Claus has been around for a long, long time. But how did people start to know about Santa Claus? Why is Santa called Jolly Old St. Nicholas? Did he always put presents under Christmas trees?
Long ago, in a land which is now called Turkey, there was a bishop named Nicholas. Nicholas lived in the fourth century A.D. He was very wealthy and generous, and he loved to make children happy. Often, he would give gifts to very poor children -- sometimes by throwing them into their windows!
After Nicholas died, he was canonized as a saint. His feast day is December 6 -- a holiday in many countries. He is the patron saint of children and seafarers. In the Netherlands, the saint's name, Sinter Nikolass, became shortened to Sinter Klaas. And as Dutch people immigrated to the United States, the name evolved into what it is today - Santa Claus!
The Dutch Saint Nicholas also wore a beard and a red cloak trimmed with white fur. Saint Nicholas left gifts for good children in their shoes -- not under trees or in stockings, as he does today.
The tradition of having a Christmas tree in the house comes from a different part of the world -- Germany. Since the Middle Ages, or perhaps before, trees have been thought to be good luck. Whenever someone would start to build a house, a small evergreen tree would be nailed to one of the tallest beams. Gradually, this tradition came to be repeated at Christmas time, by bringing a small tree into the house and decorating it. As German immigrants came to the United States, they brought with them the tradition of Christmas trees.
German Santa
American 1800's
The Holland Sentinel and Flashes Publishers.
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