Origins of Santa Claus
Santa Claus is recognized by all those young at heart as a man who has a white beard, wears a red suit and matching hat, flies around in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer, and runs a toy factory run by elves at the North Pole. He is a fantasy loved by children all around the world. But how did this legend of a jolly old gift-giving gentleman begin?
A real man known as Saint Nicholas was the inspiration. He was born around 280 AD in what is now Turkey . His parents were well-to-do Christians who died when he was young . Following Jesus’ advice to give to the poor , Nicholas gave away his inheritance to the poor and devoted his life to helping those less fortunate. He was named the Bishop of Myra when he was a young man, and he continued to help others , particularly children for the rest of his life.
Saint Nicholas died on December 6, 343 AD, and the anniversary of his passing became known as Saint Nicholas Day.
After his death, Saint Nicholas continued to live on in legend. The Dutch knew him as Sinter Klass, a nickname for Sint Nikolaas, and they brought the legend of Sinter Klaas with them to America. The saint became a part of local lore St. Nicholas was named the patron saint of New York City .
St. Nick continued to evolve into today’s Santa when Washington Irving published a book on Saint Nicholas Day that contained numerous references to a jolly St. Nicholas character.
But it was Clement Clark Moore’s famous poem, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” (now known as “The Night Before Christmas”) that cemented Saint Nicholas’ image as “a jolly old elf” with a “little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.” Political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped popularize this image . In 1863 he began drawing a series of cartoons for Harper’s Weekly that were based on the character in the poem and in Washington Irving’s work. The Santa Claus Nash depicted had a beard, a pipe and fur clothing, and became the basis for the modern Santa Claus. The cartoonist was also the one who invented Mrs. Claus, Santa’s elves and the North Pole.
Today the legend of Santa Claus continues to be shared around the world. Children know that they better watch out, they better not cry, they better not pout or they won’t make Santa’s Nice List and will end up with a lump of coal in their stocking instead, and Santa’s image can be found in books, movies, Christmas cards, printable Santa letters for kids, holiday ornaments, and other items bearing the now-familiar image of a bearded man with a white cap.
Originally posted 2010-08-05 10:36:34. Republished by Old Post Promoter