Despite popular belief, Santa Claus is, in fact, a real person, well he was a real person. The legend begins as a man named Saint Nicholas of Myra who was born to two wealthy Catholic parents, Epiphanius and Johanna. It was his uncle, who was the Bishop of Myra that inspired Nicholas to involve himself with the clergy, and that is just what he did. After being ordained as a priest by his uncle, Saint Nicholas would devote himself to Catholic scripture and be an important figure in the defense of Catholics during the Great Persecution. For this, Nicholas paid the price of imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Roman Emperor Diocletian but was saved when Constantine, the first Holy Roman Emperor, defeated Diocletian in war and legalized Christianity when he believed it was the Christian god that earned him his victory. Nicholas returned to Myra to learn that his uncle had died and his successor was still to be named, a role that Nicholas would take. As the bishop of Myra, Nicholas used the fortune that his parents had left for him to donate to several groups of people, but especially children.
There are two stories however that immortalized Saint Nicholas and are responsible for why we celebrate him to this day. The first legend was the most popular and still recognized today. When a poor father became so in debt that he had to sell his three daughters into slavery, Saint Nicholas stepped in and paid the father the money so that the girls would not have to be slaves. The second goes that in an unfair trial in which the jury accepted bribes, a man was sentenced to execution, but Saint Nicholas intervened and just before the execution could take place, Saint Nicholas blocked the sword and admonished the jurors for their crimes. Other accounts of Saint Nicholas involve him resurrecting the dead, curing the sick, and giving away magical gifts.
From 1200 to 1500, Saint Nicholas had his own holiday celebrated on December 6th, but it was later removed by the Protestant Reformation because some saw his presence as a challenge to that of Jesus.
Nicholas’s physical appearance is inspired by the Norse god Odin, but the origin of where this design came from is unknown. The name Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas’s Dutch name Sinter Klaas. Klass was a common nickname for Nicholas. The modern appearance of Saint Nicholas as we know him today came from Clement Clark Moore in 1822 in his book “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Moore wrote the book for his, coincidentally, three daughters. Popular political cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose cartoons were and are still highly influential and respected, gave Saint Nicholas his elves in their workshop and his wife, Mrs. Claus. Nast’s concept for Santa came from Moore’s book. The concept of Santa Claus having a list in which he keeps track of the children who are naughty or nice comes from the song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, which became an instant hit. Why Santa lives in the North Pole is not quite understood but a factor could be that he was a very popular figure in the Scandinavian region.
The next time someone tries to tell you that Santa is not real, now you’ll know they are very wrong. And when you tell your little brother or sister that Santa is a real person, you’ll know that you are not actually lying.
For further information on Santa Claus.
There are two stories however that immortalized Saint Nicholas and are responsible for why we celebrate him to this day. The first legend was the most popular and still recognized today. When a poor father became so in debt that he had to sell his three daughters into slavery, Saint Nicholas stepped in and paid the father the money so that the girls would not have to be slaves. The second goes that in an unfair trial in which the jury accepted bribes, a man was sentenced to execution, but Saint Nicholas intervened and just before the execution could take place, Saint Nicholas blocked the sword and admonished the jurors for their crimes. Other accounts of Saint Nicholas involve him resurrecting the dead, curing the sick, and giving away magical gifts.
From 1200 to 1500, Saint Nicholas had his own holiday celebrated on December 6th, but it was later removed by the Protestant Reformation because some saw his presence as a challenge to that of Jesus.
Nicholas’s physical appearance is inspired by the Norse god Odin, but the origin of where this design came from is unknown. The name Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas’s Dutch name Sinter Klaas. Klass was a common nickname for Nicholas. The modern appearance of Saint Nicholas as we know him today came from Clement Clark Moore in 1822 in his book “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Moore wrote the book for his, coincidentally, three daughters. Popular political cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose cartoons were and are still highly influential and respected, gave Saint Nicholas his elves in their workshop and his wife, Mrs. Claus. Nast’s concept for Santa came from Moore’s book. The concept of Santa Claus having a list in which he keeps track of the children who are naughty or nice comes from the song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, which became an instant hit. Why Santa lives in the North Pole is not quite understood but a factor could be that he was a very popular figure in the Scandinavian region.
The next time someone tries to tell you that Santa is not real, now you’ll know they are very wrong. And when you tell your little brother or sister that Santa is a real person, you’ll know that you are not actually lying.
For further information on Santa Claus.
It's incredible to me how Clement Clark Moore invented this brand new appearance for Santa Claus, and everyone just rolled with it. Not only that, but people added on to it, like Thomas Nast and the guys that wrote Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and those changes and additions got accepted by the public. The most amazing part is that all of that is still relevant, and it really does shape the way we perceive and celebrate the holiday today. I guess it just goes to show just how much of a difference one person can make.
ReplyDeleteThat was so interesting to read! I didn't really know very much about the origins of this legend. I remember learning about Thomas Nast in APUSH and even a little bit in my freshman year history class. I had no idea he played a role in the formation of Santa as we now know him. It's so cool how such an already well known historical figure also contributed to something that is now a large part of modern culture.
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