Santa Claus, also known as
Saint Nicholas,
Father Christmas,
Kris Kringle or simply
"
Santa", is a
legendary
figure who, in many
Western
cultures, brings
gifts to the homes of the
good children during the late evening and overnight hours of
Christmas Eve,
December 24 or on his
Feast Day,
December
6 (
Saint Nicholas Day). The
legend may have part of its basis in
hagiographical tales concerning the historical
figure of gift giver
Saint
Nicholas.
While Saint Nicholas was originally portrayed wearing bishop's
robes, today Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly,
white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs,
white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots.
This image
became popular in the United States
and Canada
in the 19th
century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and
political cartoonist Thomas Nast.
This image has been maintained and reinforced through
song, radio,
television, and films. In the United Kingdom and Europe, his
depiction is often identical to the American Santa, but he is
commonly called
Father
Christmas.
One legend associated with Santa says that he lives in the far
north, in a land of perpetual snow.
The American version of Santa Claus says
that he lives at his house on the North Pole
, while Father Christmas is often said to reside in
the mountains of Korvatunturi
in Lapland Province
, Finland
.
Santa Claus lives with his wife
Mrs.
Claus, a countless number of
magical
elves, and eight or nine
flying reindeer. Another legend of
Santa says that he makes a list of children throughout the world,
categorizing them according to their behavior ("naughty" or "nice")
and that he delivers presents, including
toys,
candy, and other gifts to all of the good boys
and girls in the world, and sometimes
coal to
the naughty children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He
accomplishes this feat with the aid of the elves who make the toys
in the
workshop and the reindeer
who pull his sleigh.
There has long been opposition to teaching children to believe in
Santa Claus. Some
Christian say the
Santa tradition detracts from the
religious origins and
purpose of
Christmas. Other critics feel that Santa Claus is an elaborate
lie, and that it is unethical for parents to teach their children
to believe in his existence. Still others oppose Santa Claus as a
symbol of the
commercialization of
the Christmas holiday, or as an intrusion upon their own
national traditions.
Origins
Early Christian origins
Saint Nicholas of Myra is the primary inspiration for the Christian
figure of Santa Claus.
He was a 4th-century Greek Christian bishop of Myra
(now Demre)
in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia
, 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 would not have to become
prostitutes. He was very religious from an early
age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity.
In Europe (more precisely the
Netherlands, Belgium
, Austria
and Germany
) he is still
portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes.
In 1087,
the Italian
city of
Bari
, wanting to enter the profitable pilgrimage
industry of the times, mounted an expedition to locate the tomb of
the Christian Saint and procure the
remains. The reliquary of St. Nicholas was
desecrated by Italian sailors and the spoils,
including his
relics, taken to Bari where
they are kept to this day. A
basilica was
constructed the same year to store the loot and the area became a
pilgrimage site for the devout, thus
justifying the economic cost of the expedition. Saint Nicholas
became claimed as a
patron saint of
many diverse groups, from
archers and
children to
pawnbrokers.
He is also the patron
saint of both Amsterdam
and Moscow
.
Influence of Germanic paganism and folklore
Numerous parallels have been drawn between Santa Claus and the
figure of
Odin, a major god amongst the
Germanic peoples prior to their
Christianization. Since many of
these elements are unrelated to Christianity, there are theories
regarding the
pagan origins of
various customs of the holiday stemming from areas where the
Germanic peoples were Christianized and retained elements of their
indigenous traditions, surviving in various forms into modern
depictions of Santa Claus.
Odin was sometimes recorded, at the native Germanic holiday of
Yule, as leading a great hunting party through
the sky.
Two books from Iceland
, the
Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th
century from earlier sources, and the Prose
Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, describe Odin as riding
an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir that
could leap great distances, giving rise to comparisons to Santa Claus's reindeer.
Further, Odin was referred to by
many names in
Skaldic
poetry, some of which describe his appearance or functions;
these include
Síðgrani,
Síðskeggr,
Langbarðr, (all meaning "long beard") and
Jólnir
("Yule figure").
According to Phyllis Siefker, children would place their boots,
filled with
carrots,
straw, or
sugar, near the chimney
for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then reward
those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with
gifts or candy. This practice survived in Germany, Belgium and the
Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and became
associated with Saint Nicholas as a result of the process of
Christianization
and can be still seen in the modern practice of the hanging of
stockings at the chimney in some homes.
This
practice in turn came to the United States through the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam prior to the British seizure in
the 17th century, and evolved into the hanging of socks or stockings at the fireplace.
In many
regions of Austria and former Austro-Hungarian Italy (Friuli
, city of
Trieste
) children
are given sweets and gifts on Saint Nicholas's Day (San Niccolò in
Italian), in accordance with the Catholic calendar, December 6.
Numerous other influences from the pre-Christian Germanic winter
celebrations have continued into modern Christmas celebrations such
as the
Christmas ham,
Yule Goat,
Yule logs and
the
Christmas tree.
Pre-Christian Alpine traditions
Originating from
pre-Christian Alpine
traditions and influenced by later Christianization, the
Krampus is represented as a
Companion of Saint Nicholas.
Traditionally, some young men dress up as the Krampus in the first
two weeks of December and particularly on the evening of
December 5 and roam the streets frightening
children (and adults) with rusty chains and bells.
Dutch folklore
In The
Netherlands
and Belgium, Saint Nicolas (often called "De Goede Sint" — "The
Friendly Saint") is aided by helpers commonly known as Zwarte Piet ("Black Peter") in Dutch or "Père
Fouettard" in French.
The folklore of Saint Nicolas has many parallels with Germanic
mythology, in particular with the god
Odin.
These include the beard, hat and spear (nowadays a staff) and the
cloth bag held by the servants to capture naughty children. Both
Saint Nicolas and Odin ride white horses that can fly through the
air; the white eight-legged steed of Odin is named
Sleipnir (although Sleipnir is more commonly
depicted as gray). The letters made of candy given by the Zwarte
Pieten to the children evokes the fact that Odin ‘invented’ the
rune letters. The poems made during the
celebration and the songs the children sing relate to Odin as the
god of the arts of poetry.
There are various explanations of the origins of the helpers. The
oldest explanation is that the helpers symbolize the two ravens
Hugin and
Munin who
informed Odin on what was going on. In later stories the helper
depicts the defeated
devil. The devil is
defeated by either Odin or his helper
Nörwi, the black father of the night. Nörwi is
usually depicted with the same staff of birch (Dutch: "roe") as
Zwarte Piet.
Another,
more modern, story is that Saint Nicolas liberated an Ethiopian
slave boy called 'Piter' (from Saint Peter) from a Myra market, and
the boy was so grateful he decided to stay with Saint Nicolas as a
helper. With the influx of immigrants to the Netherlands
starting in the late 1950s, this story is felt by some to be
racist. Today, Zwarte Piet have become modern servants, who have
black faces because they climb through chimneys, causing their skin
to become blackened by
soot. They hold chimney
cleaning tools (cloth bag and staff of birch).
Until the
Second World War, Saint
Nicolas was only helped by one servant. When the Canadians
liberated the Netherlands in 1945, they reinstated the celebrations
of Sinterklaas for the children. Unaware of the traditions, the
Canadians thought that if one Zwarte Piet was fun, several Zwarte
Pieten is even more fun. Ever since Saint Nicolas is helped by a
group of Zwarte Pieten.
Presents given during this feast are often accompanied by poems,
some basic, some quite elaborate pieces of art that mock events in
the past year relating to the recipient. The gifts themselves may
be just an excuse for the wrapping, which can also be quite
elaborate. The more serious gifts may be reserved for the next
morning. Since the giving of presents is Sinterklaas's job,
presents are traditionally not given at Christmas in the
Netherlands, although the latter is gaining popularity.
The Zwarte Pieten have roughly the same role for the Dutch Saint
Nicolas that the elves have to America's Santa Claus. According to
tradition, the saint has a Piet for every function: there are
navigation Pieten to navigate the steamboat from Spain to Holland,
or acrobatic Pieten for climbing up the roofs to stuff presents
through the chimney, or to climb through themselves. Throughout the
years many stories have been added, mostly made up by parents to
keep children's belief in Saint Nicolas intact and to discourage
misbehaviour. In most cases the Pieten are quite lousy at their
job, such as the navigation Piet (Dutch "wegwijspiet") pointing in
the wrong direction. This is often used to provide some simple
comedy in the annual parade of Saint Nicolas coming to the
Netherlands, and can also be used to laud the progress of children
at school by having the Piet give the wrong answer to, for example,
a simple mathematical question like 2+2, so that the child in
question is (or can be) persuaded to give the right answer.
In the Netherlands and in Belgium the character of Santa Claus, as
known in the United States (with his white beard, red and white
outfit, etc.), is entirely distinct from Sinterklaas, known instead
as
de Kerstman in Dutch (trans.
the Christmasman)
or
Père Noël (
Father Christmas) in French.
Although Sinterklaas is the predominant gift-giver in the
Netherlands in December (36% of the population only give presents
on Sinterklaas day), Christmas is used by another fifth of the
Dutch population to give presents (21% give presents on Christmas
only). Some 26% of the Dutch population give presents on both days.
In Belgium, presents are given to children only, but to almost all
of them, on Sinterklaas day. On Christmas day, everybody have
presents, but often without Santa Claus' help.
Modern origins
-modern representations of the gift-giver from church history and
folklore, notably
St Nicholas
and
Sinterklaas, merged with
the British character
Father
Christmas to create the character known to Britons and
Americans as
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 jolly well-nourished
bearded man dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe.
He typified the
spirit of good cheer at Christmas, and was reflected as the "Ghost
of Christmas Present", in Charles
Dickens Festive classic A
Christmas Carol, a great genial man in a green coat lined
with fur who takes Scrooge through the bustling streets of London
on the
current Christmas morning, sprinkling the essence of Christmas onto
the happy populace.
In other countries, the figure of Saint Nicholas was also blended
with local folklore. As an example of the still surviving
pagan imagery, in
Nordic countries the original bringer of
gifts at Christmas time was the
Yule Goat,
a somewhat startling figure with horns.
In the
1840s however, an elf in Nordic folklore called "Tomte" or "Nisse" started to deliver the Christmas
presents in Denmark
. The Tomte was portrayed as a short, bearded
man dressed in gray clothes and a red hat. This new version of the
age-old folkloric creature was obviously inspired by the Santa
Claus traditions that were now spreading to Scandinavia.
By the
end of the 19th century this tradition had also spread to Norway
and Sweden
, replacing
the Yule Goat. The same thing happened in Finland, but there
the more human figure retained the Yule Goat name. But even
though the tradition of the Yule Goat as a bringer of presents is
now all but extinct, a straw goat is still a common Christmas
decoration in all of Scandinavia.
American origins
In the
British colonies of North America and
later the United
States, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver
merged further. For example, in
Washington Irving's
History of New
York, (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into "Santa Claus"
(a name first used in the American press in 1773) but lost his
bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied
Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat.
Irving's book was a
lampoon of the Dutch culture of New York
, and much of this portrait is his joking
invention.
Modern
ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the publication of the poem "A Visit From
St. Nicholas" (better known today as "The Night Before
Christmas") in the Troy, New
York
, Sentinel on December 23, 1823
anonymously; the poem was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. In this
poem Santa is established as a heavyset man with eight reindeer
(who are named for the first time). One of the first artists to
define Santa Claus's modern image was
Thomas
Nast, an American
cartoonist of the
19th century. In 1863, a picture of Santa illustrated by Nast
appeared in
Harper's
Weekly.
The legend that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole may also have
been a Nast creation. His Christmas image in the
Harper's
issue dated December 29, 1866 was a collage of engravings titled
Santa Claus and His Works, which included the caption
"Santa Claussville, N.P." A color collection of Nast's pictures,
published in 1869, had a poem also titled "Santa Claus and His
Works" by George P. Webster, who wrote that Santa's home was "near
the North Pole, in the ice and snow". The legend had become well
known by the 1870s.
A boy from Colorado
writing to the children's magazine The
Nursery in late 1874 said, "If we didn't live so very far from
the North Pole, I should ask Santa Claus to bring me a
donkey."
L. Frank
Baum's
The Life and Adventures
of Santa Claus, a 1902
children's book, further popularized Santa
Claus. Much of Santa Claus's mythos was not set in stone at the
time, leaving Baum to give his "Neclaus" (Necile's Little One) a
wide variety of immortal support, a home in the Laughing Valley of
Hohaho, and
ten reindeer which could not fly, but leapt in
enormous, flight-like bounds. Claus's
immortality was earned, much like his title
("Santa"), decided by a vote of those naturally immortal. This work
also established Claus's motives: a happy childhood among
immortals. When Ak, Master Woodsman of the World, exposes him to
the misery and poverty of children in the outside world, Santa
strives to find a way to bring joy into the lives of all children,
and eventually invents toys as a principal means.
Images of Santa Claus were further popularized through
Haddon Sundblom's depiction of him for
The Coca-Cola Company's
Christmas advertising in the 1930s. The popularity of the image
spawned
urban legends that Santa Claus
was in fact invented by The Coca-Cola Company or that Santa wears
red and white because they are the Coca-Cola colors. In reality,
Coca-Cola was not the first
soft drink
company to utilize the modern image of Santa Claus in its
advertising –
White Rock
Beverages used Santa to sell
mineral
water in 1915 and then in advertisements for its
ginger ale in 1923. Furthermore, the massive
campaign by Coca-Cola simply popularized the depiction of Santa as
wearing red and white, in contrast to the variety of colours he
wore prior to that campaign; red and white was originally given by
Nast.
The image of Santa Claus as a benevolent character became
reinforced with its association with charity and
philanthropy, particularly organizations such
as the
Salvation Army. Volunteers
dressed as Santa Claus typically became part of
fundraising drives to aid needy families at
Christmas time.
The idea of a wife for Santa Claus was the creation of American
authors, beginning in the mid-1800s. In 1889, the poet
Katherine Lee Bates popularized
Mrs. Claus in the poem "Goody Santa Claus on a
Sleigh Ride." The 1956 popular song by
George Melachrino, "Mrs. Santa Claus," and
the 1963 children's book
How Mrs. Santa Claus Saved
Christmas, by
Phyllis
McGinley, helped standardize and establish the character and
role in the popular imagination.
In some images of the early 20th century, Santa was depicted as
personally making his toys by hand in a small workshop like a
craftsman. Eventually, the idea emerged that he had numerous elves
responsible for making the toys, but the toys were still handmade
by each individual elf working in the traditional manner.
The concept of Santa Claus continues to inspire writers and
artists, as in author
Seabury Quinn's
1948
novel Roads, which draws from historical
legends to tell the story of Santa and the origins of Christmas.
Other modern additions to the "mythology" of Santa include
Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer, the ninth and lead reindeer immortalized in a
Gene Autry song, written by a
Montgomery Ward copywriter.
Santa Claus and the chimney
The tradition of Santa Claus entering dwellings through the chimney
may reach back to the tale of Saint Nicholas tossing coins through
a window, and, in a later version of the tale, tossing coins down a
chimney when he finds the window locked. In Dutch artist
Jan Steen's painting,
The Feast of Saint
Nicholas, adults and toddlers are glancing up a chimney
with amazement on their faces while other children play with their
toys. The hearth was held sacred in primitive belief as a source of
beneficence, and popular belief had elves and fairies bringing
gifts to the house through this portal. Santa's entrance into homes
on Christmas Eve via the chimney was made part of American
tradition through Moore's
A Visit from Saint Nicholas
where the author described him as an elf.
Santa Claus in popular culture
A depiction of the story of Santa Claus' origin and early life can
be seen in the animated television special
Santa Claus is Comin'
to Town produced by
Rankin/Bass
Productions, Inc. in 1970 and originally broadcast in the United
States by
ABC-TV (the
special is still broadcast each season, and is available on DVD).
That story set Santa against the bitter
Burgermeister Meisterburger who had banned all
toys until Santa, anxious to deliver toys made by his adopted
family, the Kringles, entered the town. This "outlaw" beginning was
said to explain why Santa travels at night. Many other elements of
the popular myths of Santa are given explanatory treatment in this
stop action film.
By the end of the 20th century, the reality of mass mechanized
production became more fully accepted by the Western public. That
shift was reflected in the modern depiction of Santa's
residence—now often humorously portrayed as a fully mechanized
production and distribution facility, equipped with the latest
manufacturing technology, and overseen by the elves with Santa and
Mrs. Claus as executives and/or managers. An excerpt from a 2004
article, from a supply chain managers' trade magazine, aptly
illustrates this depiction:
Santa, otherwise known as Father
Christmas, pays a visit to some children in the 1950s.
Many
television commercials,
comic strips and other media depict this
as a sort of humorous business, with Santa's elves acting as a
sometimes mischievously disgruntled workforce, cracking jokes and
pulling pranks on their boss. For instance, an early
Bloom County story has Santa telling the
story of how his elves went on
strike,
only to be fired by
Ronald Reagan and
replaced by unemployed
aircraft
control personnel.
Another recent depiction can be found in the 2007 film
Fred Claus, a comedy starring
Vince Vaughn in the title role as the sarcastic
older brother to Santa (played by
Paul
Giamatti.) Fred visits his brother at the North Pole and, under
the guidance of Santa and the elves (some who act as Santa's
bodyguards), helps deliver the Christmas
toys.
NORAD
, the joint
Canadian-American military organization responsible for air
defense, regularly reports tracking Santa Claus every
year.
In
Kyrgyzstan
, a mountain peak was named after Santa Claus, after
a Swedish company had suggested the location be a more efficient
starting place for present-delivering journeys all over the world,
than Lapland. In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek
, a Santa Claus Festival was held on December 30,
2007, with government officials attending. 2008 was
officially declared the Year of Santa Claus in the country. The
events are seen as moves to boost tourism in Kyrgyzstan, which is
predominately Muslim.
Santa Claus rituals
A visit to a department store Santa
Claus, 1956
Rituals surrounding Santa Claus are performed throughout the world
by children hoping to receive gifts from the mythical character.
Some rituals (such as visiting a department store Santa) occur in
the weeks and days before Christmas while others, such as preparing
snacks for Santa, are specific to Christmas Eve. Some rituals, such
as setting out stockings to be filled with gifts, are age-old
traditions while others, such as NORAD's tracking of Santa's sleigh
through the night skies on Christmas Eve, are modern
inventions.
Parades, department stores, and shopping malls
Santa Claus appears in the weeks before Christmas in
department stores or
shopping malls, or at parties.
The practice of this
has been credited to James
Edgar, as he started doing this in 1890 in his Brockton,
Massachusetts
department store. He is played by an
actor, usually helped by other actors (often
mall employees) dressed as elves or other creatures of
folklore associated with Santa. Santa's function is
either to promote the store's image by distributing small gifts to
children, or to provide a seasonal experience to children by
listening to their wishlist while having them sit on his knee (a
practice now under review by some organisations in Britain, and
Switzerland). Sometimes a photograph of the child and Santa are
taken. Having a Santa set up to take pictures with children is a
ritual that dates back at least to 1918.
The area set up for this purpose is festively decorated, usually
with a large
throne, and is called variously
"Santa's
Grotto", "Santa's Workshop" or a
similar term.
In the United States, the most notable of these is the Santa at the
flagship Macy's
store in New
York City - he arrives at the store by sleigh in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade on the last float, and his court takes over a large
portion of one floor in the store. The Macy's Santa Claus is
often said to be the real Santa.
Essayist
David Sedaris is known for the
satirical diary he
kept while working as an elf in the Macy's display, which he later
published.
Quite often the Santa, if and when he is detected to be fake, says
that he is not the real Santa and is helping him at this time of
year. Most young children seem to understand this, as the real
Santa would be extremely busy around Christmas. At family parties,
Santa is sometimes impersonated by the male head of the household
or other adult male family member.
Letter writing
Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for
children for many years. These letters normally contain a
wishlist of toys and assertions of good behavior.
Some
social scientists have found
that boys and girls write different types of letters. Girls
generally write longer but more polite lists and express the nature
of Christmas more in their letters than in letters written by boys.
Girls also request gifts for other people on a more frequent basis
[Otnes, Kim, and Kim, 20-21].
Many
postal service allow children to send
letters to Santa Claus pleading their good behavior and requesting
gifts; these letters may be answered by postal workers or other
volunteers.
Canada Post has a special
postal code for letters to
Santa Claus, and since 1982 over 13,000 Canadian postal workers
have volunteered to write responses. His address is: Santa Claus,
North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0
[410845] (see also:
Ho ho
ho). (This postal code, in which zeroes are used for the letter
"O" is consistent with the alternating letter-number format of all
Canadian postal codes.) Sometimes children's charities answer
letters in poorer communities or from children's hospitals in order
to give them presents that they would not otherwise receive.
In Britain it is tradition to burn the Christmas letters on the
fire so that they would be magically transported by the wind to the
North Pole. However, this tradition is dying out in modern times
with few people having true open fires in their homes. Recently
however, national postal service
Royal
Mail revived the tradition by giving "Santa Claus" a special
address: Santa/Father Christmas, Santa’s Grotto, Reindeerland, SAN
TA1.
[410846] For 2009, an alternative has been
used: Father Christmas, North Pole, SAN TA1.
[410847]
In Mexico and other Latin American countries, besides using the
mail, sometimes children wrap their letters to a small helium
balloon, releasing them into the air so Santa magically receives
them.
Through
the years Santa Claus of Finland has received
over eight million letters. He gets over 600,000 letters
every year from over 150 countries. Children from Great Britain,
Poland and Japan are the busiest writers.
The Finnish Santa
Claus lives in Korvatunturi but Santa's Official Post Office is situated in
Rovaniemi
at the Arctic
circle. His address is: Santa Claus, Santa Claus
Village
, FIN-96930 Arctic Circle, Finland.
Children can also receive a letter from Santa through agencies such
as Santa ThePenPal. Parents can order a personalized "Santa letter"
to be sent to their child, often with a North Pole postmark. The
"Santa Letter" market generally relies on the
internet as a medium for ordering such letters
rather than
retail stores.
In the
United States, letters to Santa are routed to North Pole,
Alaska
, where they are answered by
volunteers.
Websites and e-mail
Some people have created websites designed to allow children and
other interested parties to
"track" Santa Claus on
Christmas Eve via
radar; while in transit,
Santa Claus is sometimes escorted by
Canadian Air Force fighter jets.
In 1955,
a Sears Roebuck store in Colorado
Springs
, Colorado, gave children a number to call a "Santa hotline". The number was mistyped and
children called the
Continental Air Defense
Command (CONAD) on Christmas Eve instead. The Director of
Operations, Col. Harry Shoup, received the first call for Santa and
responded by telling children that there were signs on the radar
that Santa was indeed heading south from North Pole.
In 1958, Canada and
the United States jointly created the North
American Air Defense Command
(NORAD) and together tracked Santa Claus for
children of North America that year and ever since. This
tracking can now be done by children via the
Internet and NORAD's website.Many local
television stations in the United States
and Canada likewise track Santa Claus in their own
metropolitan areas through the stations'
meteorologists.
Many other websites are available year-round that are devoted to
Santa Claus and keeping tabs on his activities in his workshop.
Many of these websites also include
e-mail
addresses, a modern version of the postal service letter writing,
in which children can send Santa Claus e-mail.
Christmas Eve rituals
In the
United
States and Canada, children
traditionally leave Santa a glass of milk and a
plate of cookies; in Britain
and Australia, he is
sometimes given sherry and mince pies instead. In Sweden, children
leave brownies. In Ireland
it is popular to give him Guinness or milk, along with cookies or mince
pies.
British, Australian, Irish, Canadian and American children also
leave a
carrot for Santa's reindeer, and were
traditionally told that if they are not good all year round, that
they will receive a lump of
coal in their
stockings, although this practice is now considered archaic.
Children following the Dutch custom for
sinterklaas will
"put out their shoe" — that is, leave hay and a carrot for his
horse in a shoe before going to bed—sometimes weeks before the
sinterklaas avond. The next morning they will find the hay
and carrot replaced by a gift; often, this is a
marzipan figurine. Naughty
children were once told that they would be left a
roe (a
bundle of sticks) instead of sweets, but this practice has been
discontinued.
Other Christmas Eve Santa Claus rituals in the United States
include reading
Clement Clark
Moore's
A Visit from
St. Nicholas or other tale about Santa Claus, watching a
Santa or Christmas-related animated program on television (such as
the aforementioned
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and
similar specials, such as
Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer,
A Charlie Brown Christmas and
How the
Grinch Stole Christmas, among many others), and the
singing of Santa Claus songs such as
Santa Claus is Coming to
Town,
Here Comes
Santa Claus, and
Up on
the Housetop. Last minute rituals for children before
going to bed include aligning stockings at the mantelpiece or other
place where Santa cannot fail to see them, peeking up the chimney
(in homes with a fireplace), glancing out a window and scanning the
heavens for Santa's sleigh, and (in homes without a fireplace),
unlocking an exterior door so Santa can easily enter the house.
Tags on gifts for children are sometimes signed by their parents,
"From Santa Claus" before the gifts are laid beneath the
tree.
Criticism
Christian opposition
Despite Santa Claus's mixed Christian roots, he has become a
secular representation of Christmas. As
such, a small number of primarily
Protestant fundamentalist Christian churches dislike the
secular focus on Santa Claus and the materialist focus that gift
giving brings to the holiday. Such a condemnation of Christmas is
not a twentieth century phenomenon, but originated among some
Protestant groups of the 16th century and was prevalent among the
Puritans of 17th century England and
colonial America who banned the holiday as either
pagan or
Roman
Catholic. Christmas was made legal with the
Restoration but the Puritan opposition
to the holiday persisted in New England for almost two
centuries.
Following the
Restoration of the
monarchy and with Puritans out of power in England, the ban on
Christmas was satirized in works such as
Josiah King's
The Examination and Tryal of
Old Father Christmas; Together with
his Clearing by the Jury (1686) [Nissenbaum, chap. 1].
Rev.
Paul
Nedergaard, a clergyman in Copenhagen
, Denmark, attracted controversy in 1958 when he declared
Santa to be a "pagan goblin" after Santa's
image was used on fund-raising materials for a Danish welfare
organization Clar, 337. One
prominent religious group that refuses to celebrate Santa Claus, or
Christmas itself, for similar reasons is the
Jehovah's Witnesses . A number of
denominations of Christians have varying concerns about Santa
Claus, which range from acceptance to denouncement.
Some Christians would prefer that the focus be given on the actual
birth of
Jesus, recognizing that Christmas
stemmed from pagan festivals such as the
Roman Saturnalia and
Germanic
Yule which were subsumed within
ancient Christianity. An even smaller subset of nominally
Reformed Christians actually prefer
the secularized version of the holiday for the same reasons, citing
that to relegate Christ's birth to a day so very obviously
inaccurate to its actual occurrence is, in fact, an
abomination.
Some parents are uncomfortable about lying to their children about
the existence of Santa. Some fundamentalist parents worry that
their children might think that if they were deceived by their
parents about Santa Claus, they might be deceiving them about God's
existence as well. While the viewpoints of fundamentalists do not
represent the majority of Christians, their comments have drawn the
attention of critics such as the fictional
Landover Baptist Church, whose
website satirizes and
parodies the
fundamentalist viewpoint.
Santa as a symbol of commercialism
In his book
Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa
Claus, writer Jeremy Seal describes how the commercialization
of the Santa Claus legend began in the 1800s. "In the 1820s he
began to acquire the recognizable trappings: reindeer,
sleigh, bells," said Seal in an interview. "They are
simply the actual bearings in the world from which he emerged.
At that
time, sleighs were how you got about Manhattan
."
Writing in
Mothering, writer Carol Jean-Swanson makes
similar points, noting that the original figure of St. Nicholas
gave only to those who were needy and that today Santa Claus seems
to be more about
conspicuous
consumption:
In the
Czech
Republic
, a group of
advertising professionals started a website against Santa Claus, a
relatively recent phenomenon in that country. "Czech
Christmases are intimate and magical. All that Santa stuff seems to
me like cheap show business," said David König of the Creative
Copywriters Club, pointing out that it is primarily an American and
British tradition. "I'm not against Santa himself. I'm against
Santa in my country only." In the Czech tradition, presents are
delivered by
Ježíšek, which
translates as
Baby Jesus.
In the
United
Kingdom, Santa—or Father
Christmas -- was historically depicted wearing a green
cloak. More recently, that has been changed to the more
commonly known red suit.
One school in the seaside town of Brighton
banned the use of a red suit for erroneously
believing it was only indicative of the Coca-Cola advertising
campaign. School spokesman Sarah James said: "The red-suited
Santa was created as a marketing tool by Coca-Cola, it is a symbol
of commercialism." In reality, the red-suited Santa was created by
Thomas Nast.Woolley posits that it is
perhaps "kinship with the adult world" that causes children not to
be angry that they were lied to for so long. The criticism about
this deception is not that it is a simple lie, but a complicated
series of very large lies. The objections to the lie are that it is
unethical for parents to lie to children without good cause, and
that it discourages healthy skepticism in children. With no greater
good at the heart of the lie, it is charged that it is more about
the parents than it is about the children. Writer Austin Cline
posed the question: "Is it not possible that kids would find at
least as much pleasure in knowing that parents are responsible for
Christmas, not a supernatural stranger?"
Others, however, see no harm in the belief in Santa Claus.
Psychologist Tamar Murachver said in that it was a cultural, not
parental, lie; thus, it does not undermine parental trust. The New
Zealand Skeptics also see no harm in parents telling their children
that Santa is real. Spokesperson Vicki Hyde said, "It would be a
hard-hearted parent indeed who frowned upon the innocent joys of
our children's cultural heritage. We save our bah humbugs for the
things that exploit the vulnerable."
Dr. John Condry of Cornell University interviewed more than 500
children for a study of the issue and found that not a single child
was angry at his or her parents for telling them Santa Claus was
real. According to Dr. Condry, "The most common response to finding
out the truth was that they felt older and more mature. They now
knew something that the younger kids didn't."
Islamic opposition in Bosnia
Santa
Claus has been banned by the director of pre-school education in
predominantly Muslim Sarajevo
on 21 December 2008 on the grounds that he plays no
part in Bosniak tradition.
The controversial attack is the culmination of a long history of
unsuccessful efforts by nationalists with Islamic leanings to ban
him out the country. The struggle first emerged in the aftermath of
the
Bosnian war when the wartime
president,
Alija Izetbegović,
attempted to declare Santa Claus a communist-era 'fabrication'.
Although at the time Izetbegović's efforts were blocked after a
public outcry, this time it was done by Arzija Mahmutović, director
of the Children of Sarajevo group of public nurseries, apparently
successfully.
Home of Santa Claus
Santa Claus's home traditionally includes a residence and a
workshop where he creates - often with the aid of elves or other
supernatural beings - the gifts he delivers to good children at
Christmas. Some stories and legends include a village, inhabited by
his helpers, surrounding his home and shop.
In North American tradition (in the United States and Canada),
Santa lives on the North Pole, which according to Canada Post lies
within Canadian jurisdiction in postal code H0H 0H0, although
postal codes starting with H are usually reserved for the island of
Montreal in Québec. On
December 23 2008,
Jason Kenney, Canada's minister of
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, formally awarded
Canadian citizenship status to Santa Claus. "
The Government of
Canada wishes Santa the very best in his Christmas Eve duties and
wants to let him know that, as a Canadian citizen, he has the
automatic right to re-enter Canada once his trip around the world
is complete," Kenney said in an official statement.
Each
Nordic country claims Santa's
residence to be within their territory.
Norway claims he
lives in Drøbak
.
In
Denmark, he is said to live in Greenland
(near Uummannaq
). In Sweden, the town of Mora
has a themepark named Tomteland. The national postal terminal in Tomteboda
in Stockholm receives children's letters for
Santa. The Finnish town Rovaniemi has long been
known in Finland as Santa's home, and has today a themepark called
Santa Claus
Village.
Christmas gift-bringers around the world
Europe and North America
Throughout Europe and North America, Santa Claus is generally known
as such, but in some countries the gift-giver's name, attributes,
date of arrival, and even identity varies.
- Ježíšek ( "child Jesus") - brings gifts in evening of 24th
December (which differs from Santa Claus's gifting during night
between 24th and 25th December) - kids are unpacking gifts in
evening already.
- Denmark: Julemanden
- Estonia
: Jõuluvana
- Faroe Islands
: Jólamaðurin
- Finland: Joulupukki
- France
: Père Noël ("Father Christmas," also a
common figure in other French-speaking areas)
- Germany: Weihnachtsmann ("Christmas Man"); Christkind in southern Germany
- Greece
, Cyprus
: Άγιος
Βασίλης ("Saint Basil")
- Hungary
: Mikulás ("Nicholas"); Télapó ("Old Man Winter"); Jézuska or Kis Jézus
("child Jesus")
- Iceland: Jólasveinn ("Yule Man"). See also the 13
Yule Lads (jólasveinarnir).
- Republic of Ireland
: Santa Claus, Santy or Daidí na Nollag (Father
Christmas)
- Italy: Babbo Natale ("Father Christmas"); La
Befana (similar to Santa Claus; she rides a
broomstick rather than a sleigh, but is
not considered a witch); Santa Lucia ("Saint
Lucy," a blind old woman who on December 13 brings gifts to
children in some regions, riding a donkey); Gesù bambino ("Child
Jesus")
- Latvia
:
Ziemassvētku vecītis ("Christmas pop")
- Liechtenstein
: Christkind
- Lithuania
: Senis Šaltis ("Old Man Frost") or Kalėdų Senelis
("Christmas Grandfather")
- Netherlands & Flanders: Kerstman ("Christmas Man")
- Macedonia
: Дедо Мраз
/ Dedo Mraz
- Norway: Julenissen
- Poland
: Święty
Mikołaj / Mikołaj ("Saint Nicholas");
Gwiazdor in some regions
- Portugal
: Pai
Natal
- Romania
,Moldova
: Moş Crăciun ("Father Christmas"); Moş Niculae
("Father Nicholas")
- Russia
: Дед Мороз
(Ded Moroz, "Grandfather
Frost")
- Serbia
: Дедa Мрaз
/ Deda Mraz (Ded Moroz, "Grandfather
Frost")
- Spain
: Reyes
Magos (Biblical Magi) is the
autochthonous tradition, and representations of the Magi are done
in the streets the 6th of January. Due to external
influence, Santa Claus (Papá Noel) is becoming more common. Many
families have adopted both traditions.
- Catalonia
: Apart from the Reis Mags (Biblical Magi)
tradition, in Catalonia there is another local tradition, the Tió de Nadal. Usually this
character gives small gifts, the more important gifts being given
by the Reis Mags. As in the rest of Spain, the imported Pare Noel
(Santa Claus) tradition is becoming more common.
- Sweden: Jultomten
- Switzerland
: Christkind / Babbo Natale / Père Noël
- Turkey: Noel Baba ("Father Christmas") Although
Turks are mainly Islamic, many homes carry the tradition of "Noel
Baba" and a Christmas (or New Year) tree.
- Turkmenistan
: Aýaz baba ("Father
Christmas")
- Ukraine
: Svyatyy
Mykolay; Дід Мороз / Did
Moroz.
- United Kingdom: Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Santa, Siôn Corn
("Chimney John" in Welsh)
- United States: Santa Claus; Kris Kringle; Saint Nicholas or Saint
Nick
Latin America
Santa Claus in Latin America is generally referred to as
Papá Noel, but there are variations from
country to country.
Asia
People around Asia, particularly countries that have adopted
Western cultures, also celebrate Christmas and the gift-giver
traditions passed down to them from the West.
Some countries that
observe and celebrate Christmas (especially as a public holiday)
include Hong
Kong
, Philippines
, East
Timor
, South
Korea
, Malaysia
, Singapore
, India
, and the
Christian communities within Central Asia
and the Middle East.
- Asia: Santa Claus
- China
: 聖誕老人
(pinyin: shèngdànlǎorén lit.
Christmas old man)
- Hong
Kong: 聖誕老人 (jyutping: sing3
daan3 lou5 jan4 lit. Christmas old man) Santa
Claus, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas
- India Dada
("Christmas old man"), Thatha("Christmas old man" in
telugu)
- Japan
:
サンタさん、サンタクロース (romaji: santa-san
(lit. Mr. Santa) santa kurōsu)
- Korea
: 산타 클로스
("santa kullosu")
- Vietnam
: Ông già Noel ("The Christmas old man")
Africa and the Middle East
Christians in
Africa and
Middle East who celebrate Christmas generally
ascribe to the gift-giver traditions passed down to them by
Europeans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Descendants of colonizers still residing in these regions likewise
continue the practices of their ancestors.
[410848]
Gallery
File:Santa Claus-SL.jpg|Santa ClausFile:Jensen Olson descendents
01.jpg|Santa on a family portrait from the early
1950's
File:Santa Clause is skiing in
Adelboden.JPG|Santa Claus on skis in Adelboden,
Switzerland
File:North Pole Alaska Santa Claus.jpg|Santa
Claus in North Pole,
AlaskaFile:Perenoel1875-1.png|Canadian Santa Claus drawing from 1875File:Santa Claus kobe.jpg|Japanese Santa ClausFile:French Santa.jpg|Santa Claus in
France
See also
Related topics
Variations of Christmas around the world
Related figures in Historical Folklore
References
- Poll: In a changing nation, Santa endures. Associated
Press, December 22, 2006.
- Coke denies claims it bottled familiar Santa
image, Jim Auchmutey, Rocky Mountain News, December
10, 2007.
- Santa's arrival lights up the Green
- B. K. Swartz, Jr.; THE ORIGIN OF AMERICAN CHRISTMAS MYTH AND CUSTOMS;
Retrieved on 2007-12-22
- Jeff Westover; The Legendary Role of Reindeer in Christmas; Retrieved
on 2007-12-22
- Santa Claus: Should Parents Perpetuate the Santa
Claus Myth?, Austin Cline, About.com
- St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Encyclopedia
- Saint Nicholas Encyclopedia Britannica
- Saint Nicholas ::: People
- Saint Nicholas ::: Places
- McKnight, George Harley. St. Nicholas - His Legend and His
Role in the Christmas Celebration (1917) Available on-line:
[1]
- The Encyclopedia Americana
(1920) (page 307) Available online: [2].
- Collier's Encyclopedia (1986)
(Page 414)
- Found in Alvíssmál (6)
- Found in Gylfaginning, Grímnismál (48),
Nafnaþulur, Óðins nöfn
(6)
- Found in Nafnaþulur and Óðins nöfn (7)
- Found in Óðins nöfn (7)
- Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The
Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas, Spanning 50,000 Years
(chap. 9, esp. 171-173) (2006) ISBN 0786429585
- Annual Zwarte Piet Debate: Expatica.com;
Retrieved on 2007-12-07
- Anno: Zwarte Pieten, Groene Pieten; Retrieved on
2007-12-07
- Netherlands budget institute table showing money spent by
households categorised into those that give gifts only on Sint
(36%), only on Christmas day (21%), on both days (26%)
- "Last Monday, the anniversary of St. Nicholas, otherwise called
Santa Claus, was celebrated at Protestant Hall, at Mr. Waldron’s;
where a great number of sons of the ancient saint [the Sons of
Saint Nicholas] celebrated the day with great joy and festivity."
Rivington’s Gazette (New York City), December 23,
1773.
- Thomas Nast, Santa Claus and His Works, 1866. The phrase
"Santa Claussville, N.P." is on the curved border to the right of
center, above the large word "Claus".
- Jeremy Seal, Nicholas: The Epic Journey From Saint to Santa
Claus, Bloomsbury, 2005, p. 199–200. ISBN 978-1582344195.
- Ralph Armstrong, age 6, " A Letter From Colorado", The Nursery,
1875, vol. 18, p. 42–43.
- The Claus That Refreshes Snopes.com (accessed January
7, 2008).
- The White Rock Collectors Association, " Did White Rock or The Coca-Cola Company create the modern
Santa Claus Advertisement?," whiterocking.org, 2001 (accessed
January 19, 2007).
- White Rock Beverages, " Coca-Cola's Santa Claus: Not The Real Thing!,"
BevNET.com, December 18, 2006 (accessed January 19, 2007).
- Walsh, Joseph J.. Were They Wise Men Or Kings?: The Book of
Christmas Questions. Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. ISBN
0664223125.
- Nissenbaum, chap. 2; Belk, 87-100
- http://www.noradsanta.org/en/faq.html
- Kyrgyzstan: Central Asian Country Welcomes Santa
Claus To His New Home. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Dec 30,
2007
- BBC NEWS | England | New Santa clauses
introduced
- Swiss Santas are banned from sitting children on
their laps - Telegraph
- A Visit from St. Nick
- [3]
- http://www.noradsanta.org/en/history.php
- When Christmas Was Banned - The early colonies and
Christmas
- BBC - History - Ten Ages of Christmas
- [4]
- Santa Claus: The great imposter, Terry Watkins,
Dial-the-Truth Ministries.
- To Santa or Not to Santa, Sylvia Cochran,
Families Online Magazine.
- [5], G.I. Williamson, A Puritan's Mind.
- Santa Claus is Satan!]
- How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus: One
Theory, interview with Jeremy Seal at the St. Nicholas
Center.
- Better Watch Out, Better Not Cry, Hilda Hoy,
The
Prague Post, December 13, 2006.
- Santa goes green!; BBC.co.uk; 2007-11-26; Retrieved on
2007-12-22
- Parents see red over school's green-suited
santa, Olinka Koster, The Daily Mail (UK), November 22,
2007.
- Palmer, Rebbecca; How to deal with the 'is Santa real?';
Retrieved on 2007-12-22
- KUTNER, LAWRENCE; Parent & Child; New York Times;
1991-11-21; Retrieved on 2007-12-22
- Guardian: Nationalists triumph as 'Grandfather
Frost' banned in Sarajevo infant schools
- Santa Claus declared a Canadian citizen
Edmonton Sun, December 23, 2008
-
http://www.classbrain.com/artholiday/publish/santas_names_around_world.shtml
External links
.jpg/180px-Georg_von_Rosen_-_Oden_som_vandringsman,_1886_(Odin,_the_Wanderer).jpg)
: Babagjyshi
i Krishtlindjeve ("Grandfather Christmas");Babadimri ("Grandfather Winter")
: Ձմեռ Պապիկ ( "Grandfather Winter")
: Djeda Mraz (Ded
Moroz, "Grandfather Frost")
: Дядо Коледа ("Grandfather Christmas")
: Djed Mraz ("Grandfather Frost") or Djed Božičnjak
("Grandfather Christmas")
, Bolivia
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, Paraguay
, Perú
, Uruguay
and Venezuela
: Papá Noel ("Father Christmas"), Niño Jesús (Baby Jesus)
: Papai Noel (Father Christmas); Os Três Reis Magos
("The Three Mage Kings")
: Viejito Pascuero (Christmas old
man)
: Santo
Clós (Santa Claus); Niño Dios
(lit. "child God" i.e. child Jesus); Los Reyes Magos ("The
Wise Men")
: Papa Noel (Arabic: بابا نويل baba
noel)
: Papa Noel
(Arabic: بابا نويل baba
noel)
- a small Midwestern
U.S.
amusement
park
archivist Jeff
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