Who exactly is this masked man with the huge beard and bag full of presents
Many trace the origins of Santa Claus back to a bishop called Nicholas who lived in Myra.
His recognition as a saint is said to have come in a popular and unofficial way by the common people well before the process of canonising people (giving them the status of a saint) began.
Note that, "Saint" means, "holy". This is the word which the Bible gives to describe all Christians. It doesn't mean Christians are without sin but that all Christians have been made holy in the sight of God. This is not by some great act of goodness on their part. Rather, it is that by God's grace they have been cleansed of sin by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and his blood shed for them. Note also that there is no biblical command to venerate certain Christians giving them the special status of "saint".
In contrast to the belief that a person called Nicholas of Myra actually existed, the Encyclopedia Britannica says that, "Nicholas’s existence is not attested by any historical document". So what follows must be understood in the light of these things.
Saint Nicholas is believed to have been the 4th century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). He is said to have been persecuted and imprisoned for his faith under the rule of the Roman emperor Diocletian. In many countries children receive gifts on December 6 which is called Saint Nicholas Day. This day was chosen because December 6, 343 AD is proclaimed as the day of his death.
Stories tell of the generosity of St. Nicholas in giving gifts to the poor, and even of miracles. Gifts were given secretly by means such as tossing coins through open windows. The source of Nicholas' riches came from a generous inheritance that he received from his parents who died at an early age.
One of the most popular stories about St. Nicholas claims that he gave marriage dowries of gold coins to a godly man's three poor girls who without his help would most likely have ended up in a life of prostitution. Some sources state that this gift of gold was dropped down a chimney, an option he is said to have used when the windows were closed. Another version of this story says that the gold coins were dropped through an open window and some of the coins fell into a boot drying by an open fire. Can you see the connection with leaving out stockings by a fire for Santa to fill.
Another story tells of how St. Nicholas brought back to life three children who had been dismembered and put into a tub of brine.
Because Myra (where Nicholas lived) was a sea port, many sailors heard the story of his generous giving. They took the idea of secret giving to the poor and needy (in contrast to the commercial hype of the modern day Christmas) back to the lands they came from and so the stories of St. Nicholas (true or not) spread all over that part of the world. At the start, people followed the example of giving gifts to the poor in secret but over time, this changed to what we see today.
Moving on from 4th century, the Dutch referred to St. Nicholas as Sinterklaas. When Dutch colonists arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in America in the 17th century the name Sinterklaas was changed by the English speaking people to Santa Claus.
The legend of Sinterklaas (now Santa Claus) was then combined with old Nordic folktales of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents.
Discover the shocking difference between the modern day Santa Claus and the legend of St. Nicholas.
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Santa Claus has also been associated with the Nordic God Odin who at Yule time is said to lead a hunting party through the sky lead by an 8 legged horse. This horse is said to have been able to leap great distances and this has led to comparisons with Santa Clause’s reindeer. Tradition says that children would leave items like carrots, straw and sugar in boots by the chimney. Odin would reward good children and punish the naughty. Good children received gifts or candy.
Santa has also been traced to the Norse god Thor who traveled through the sky on a chariot pulled by two white goats (called Cracker and Gnasher). Fire and the colour red are associated with Thor. The fireplace in every home was sacred to him and he was said to come down through the chimney into the fire which did not harm him because it was his element.
The ‘Father’ in Father Christmas is believed by some to be derived from ‘Woden’. Woden is more commonly known as ‘Odin’, who is the ‘All-Father’, that is, the head god of North European and Scandinavian mythology. The Father Christmas known to the Victorians was popularised in Charles Dickens Christmas Carol. He was associated with adult festivities and did not give out presents.
A number of myths about Santa say that he had a dark helper who came with him. In Scandinavia the dark helper was known as Black Pete. One of the reasons he was given the name Black Pete was because he had the task of punishing naughty children. Another was that he was the one who came down the chimney, not Santa! Black Pete was also known as Old Nick, thought to be the derived from the Dutch word Nikken (the devil) which comes from the Anglo-Saxon nac-an.
The image of Santa Clause being a fat, jolly fellow wearing a red and white suite and hat developed over a period of time (his suite was originally green) and was popularised by a 1931 Coca-Cola advertisement (where he isn’t actually wearing his hat) by Haddon Sundblom. From the 19th century onwards, this image of a fat, jolly, children loving, gift giving of Santa has continued until today.
Some have even said that Santa is the devil because his name spells, "Satan"!
But while the myth of Santa has been used for capitalistic gain, and has caused a lot of unnecessary pressure and unrealistic expectations for families, etc. etc. it is simply childish to say that because one can make the word Satan from the word Santa, that Santa is Satan.
You can make the word 'rats' by reversing the letters in the word 'star'. Seriously folks, while Santa's image is tarnished and while he doesn't belong in any Christian celebration of the birth of Christ, and while he really has very little in common with the person he is suppose to have evolved from (see below) and, yes, while his image is even used by Satan to draw attention away Christ, Santa is not Satan.
We only raise this because it comes up on the internet and it given more attention that it deserves, which is none!.
| SANTA | ST. NOCHOLAS |
|---|---|
| No adult believes in his existence
(true, we haven't surveyed all adults) | Some adults believe he existed but have
no historical document to back this up |
| Secular (non-religious) | Spiritual (a Christian leader) |
| Gives gifts to all even if they don't need them | Gave gifts to the poor and needy |
| Makes a show of giving | Gave in secret |
| Appeals to children | Appeals to everyone of all ages |
| Gives once a year | Gave throughout the year |
| Gives magically and never runs out | Gave of his own until he had nothing left |
| Encourages Consumption | Encourages Compassion |
| Seriously overweight | Healthy build |
| Gate crashes someone birthday - December 25 * | Is celebrated on the day he is believed to have died - Dec. 6 |
| Proclaims the Sale | Proclaims the Saviour |