Santa Claus
Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Papá Noel (Weihnachtsmann in German, Noel Father in Spanish, Papai Noel Noel Father in Portuguese, or simply Santa) is a mythical character in North American, British, Brazilian, Dutch and Flemish, and other cultures who gives presents to children on Christmas Day.
He is a variant of a European folk tale based on the historical
figure Saint Nicholas, a bishop from present-day Turkey, who supposedly gave
presents to the poor, explaining the source of Christmas presents given to
children on Christmas Day.
Father Christmas is a well loved figure in
the UK, and is now interchangeable with Santa Claus, though the two had quite
different origins. The term Santa is as widely used and understood by UK
children as Father Christmas.
Conventionally Santa Claus is portrayed as a kindly,
round-bellied, merry, bespectacled man in a red suit trimmed with white fur,
with a long white beard. On Christmas Eve, he rides in his flying sleigh lifted
by reindeer from house to house to give presents to children. To get inside the
house, he comes down the chimney and lands in the fireplace. During the rest of
the year he lives together with his wife Mrs. Claus and his elves who serve as
his toy production staff. His home is usually given as either the North Pole in
the US and Canada.
The modern Santa Claus is a composite character made
up from the merging of two quite separate figures:
The first of these is
Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of
Byzantine Anatolia that is now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous
gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of
a pious Christian with dowries so that they wouldn't have to become
prostitutes. He was born at Patara, province of Lycia, Asia Minor. He was very
religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. In
Europe he is still portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes.
The second character is Father Christmas, which remains the British
name for Santa Claus. Father Christmas dates back at least as far as the 17th
century in Britain, and pictures of him survive from that era, portraying him
as a well-nourished bearded man dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe. He
typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, and was reflected in the
"Spirit of Christmas Present" in Charles Dickens's
A Christmas Carol.
Portions of this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Santa Claus".
Explore more about Santa Claus
All Dressed Up for Christmas -The Santa Suit
Tradition
Many people from around the world dress in Santa suits each
year but fewer people know how the tradition started.
Is A Non-Traditional Santa Costume On Your
Christmas List This Year?
Santa Claus costumes have come a long way, and
with many of the online costume suppliers stocking up on good old Saint Nick
apparel, you just can’t imagine what this popular elf will come up with
next this year.
How Rudolph Became a
Christmas Helper
Did you know that the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed
Reindeer was originally created by a department store?
The Secret History of Santa Claus
Santa
Claus is one old dude. We all know that. Just look at how white his beard and
hair are, right? But did you know that the legend of Santa Claus, and St. Nick,
go back nearly to the time of Christ, nearly 2,000 years ago? No? Well then,
sit back, pour yourself a hot chocolate, grab yourself a plate of cookies, and
get ready for the story of Santa Claus.
Santa is Always the News
We all
know Santa’s story by now. He was originally a bishop back in the day, and
after he died he became known as Saint Nicholas, or Saint Nick for short. And
even way back then, before Christmas became a major holiday, the anniversary of
his death was a day to celebrate by giving out gifts. But most of us don’t
know that Saint Nick actually had a bad rap for a while, and that is actually
how he got all of the other names we know him by today.
The Christmas Holiday Tradition of Writing a
Letter to Santa!
The tradition of writing a letter to Santa probably
just started as a simple way for parents to find out what children wanted
without dispelling the myth of Santa Clause at a premature developmental point.
It soon became as much a part of the Christmas holiday as well--milk and
cookies!
Host a Santa Letter-Writing
Party
Since you and your friends are all in the same seasonal boat, why
not combine your efforts? Sometime shortly after Thanksgiving, consider hosting
a Santa Letter-Writing Party-or, rather, having your son host the party. It's a
great way to address this annual holiday project, helping the kids in your
son's circle to pinpoint and record their Christmas wish-lists.
What Can Postcards do for the
Holiday Season?
Answering the question "what can postcards do for the
holiday season?" is just as simple as like this - it can help us express warm
thanks of greetings.
