While it is customary to view Santa Claus as a myth, his story evolved from the life of a real person - Saint Nicholas.
St. Nicholas was born in 280 AD in the ancient Turkish town of Lycia in Asia Minor.
He was the only son of wealthy parents and when they died in an epidemic, he inherited everything. As a young man he dedicated his life to God, became a priest and later a bishop. There is a story told that Nicholas learned of three young women whose father was too
poor to provide them all with a dowry. One night he filled three bags full of gold and threw them through the window of the room the women were sleeping in. Shortly thereafter the
women were married. Nicholas was eventually named the patron saint of children, sailors, Russia and Greece.
Children today would not recognize the St. Nick who brought gifts hundreds of years ago. He dressed in his red and white bishop's robes and carried a shepherd's crook
(from which our candy cane is derived). He was accompanied by a donkey - not reindeer. And he came on his feast day, December 6, and left small gifts behind.
The Dutch kept the tradition of St. Nicholas alive. In sixteenth century Holland,children would leave their wooden shoes by the hearth. They were filled with straw for St. Nicholas' donkey - much as children today leave carrots for the reindeer.
In return, St. Nicholas would leave a small gift in the shoe. Later, in America, the shoe was replaced by a stocking, hung by the chimney.
The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas Saint Nikolass which became Sinterklass and was later changed to Santa Claus.
In 1823, Clement Moore wrote a poem to read to his children on Christmas Eve. In his The Night Before Christmas Moore describes Santa and includes details such as the names of the reindeer and Santa's happy demeanor, although he was described as an elf. It was left to Thomas Nash
to further develop the Santa story. From 1863 until 1866 he created a series of drawings for Harper's Weekly in which Santa further evolved into the life-sized, rotund and bearded fellow we know today. He also described the North Pole, told how Santa spends his time
making toys, checking over his list of naughty or nice boys and girls and reading their letters.
Santa Claus is known by many names: Father Christmas in England; Saint Nikolass or Sinterklass in Holland; Kris Kringle in Germany; Pere Noel in France. In other countries the gift givers are: La Befana, a kindly old witch, in Italy; The Three kings in Spain and parts of South America;
Babouschka, a grandmotherly figure, in Russia. In some parts of Germany the Christkind, a messenger from Jesus, brings gifts. She has fair hair crowned with a wreath of candles.
