Santa Claus History: Christmas has long been associated with a portly, jolly, old, white-bearded man sporting a red suit who brings sweets and gifts for children. The man known as Santa Claus is commonly portrayed as laughing in a way that sounds like 'Ho Ho Ho'.
But do you know the origins of Santa Claus, is the Christmas figure real, and how did he go from an austere saint to a jolly old man in red? To answer this, we take you on a journey to the North Pole on a flying reindeer who pull his sleigh through the air.
St. Nicholas is modern-day Santa Claus
The inspiration behind the modern-day Santa Claus is St. Nicolas who was born in the fourth century Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) to rich parents, who died in an epidemic. He was raised by his Uncle who was a Bishop.
Obeying the words of Jesus Christ, "sell what you own and give the money to the poor", Nicholas used the entire inheritance left by his parents to help the poor, sick and needy. Thus, St. Nicholas is revered as a miracle worker in the East while he is patron to children and sailors in the West. He was made the Bishop of Myra at a very young age.
The custom of hanging up stockings to put presents in it comes from a very famous story related to St. Nicholas.
There was a poor man who had three daughters but was unable to marry them off to good husbands as he didn't have enough money for their dowries. One fine night, St. Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney of the poor man's house. The bag fell into a stocking which was hung by the fire to dry. The same happened for the second daughter.
The curious father caught St. Nicholas dropping a bag of gold for his third daughter. Although St. Nicholas begged the men to not tell anyone about it, the news spread like a fire. Since then, whenever a person received a secret gift, it was thought to be from Nicholas.
Why was Nicholas the patron saint of children and sailors?
Due to his kindness, Nicholas was made a Saint. He resurrected three boys who were murdered by the innkeeper and their dismembered bodies were kept in barrels of the wine cellar. Nicholas sensed the horrific crime and saved the children.
Another story goes like: Once the sailors were caught in a bad storm off the coast of Turkey. The men were terrified that the raging storm will sink their ship beneath the giant ocean waves. The men then made a prayer to Nicholas who appeared before them and ordered the storm to be calm.
Subsequently, the storm died away and the sailors were able to sail their ship safely to the harbour. Since then, St. Nicholas is revered as a miracle worker in the East while he is patron to children and sailors in the West.
The death of St. Nicholas and magical Manna
Nicholas was exiled under the rule of Roman Emperor Diocletian and spent years in prison. The emperor ruthlessly persecuted Christians and the prisons were so full of Christians that there was no room for real criminals. He was released by Emperor Constantine who made Christianity prominent in his empire.
Nicholas died in the mid-fourth century on December 6 and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called Manna, formed in his grave. The Manna is a liquid substance that is said to have healing powers.
To remember his legendary generosity, St. Nicholas Day is celebrated each year on December 6.
How did St. Nicholas became Santa Claus?
In the 13th century, the Dutch started celebrating a tradition of putting coins in tattered shoes that were left outside the homes of the poor people. The tradition was to honour St. Nicholas who over time became Sinterklaas.
The character of Sinterklaas became Old Father Christmas or Lord Christmas in the 17th century and was ultimately Americanised as Santa Claus what we know today.
Does Santa Claus look like St. Nicholas?
The mortal remains of St. Nicholas are kept in Italy. In 1807, his bones were stolen by the sailors and were brought to Bari. An impressive church was built over his crypt and to date, pilgrims and tourists visit Bari’s great Basilica di San Nicola.
His crypt was repaired in the 1950s. When the bones and skull were measured in detail and x-ray photos were taken, it was found that his face had a badly broken nose. His face was digitally reconstructed and he looked nothing like Santa Claus that we know today.
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