The man we know as Santa Claus has a history all his own. Today, he is thought of mainly as the jolly man in red, but his story stretches all the way back to the third century. Find out more about the history of Santa Claus from his earliest origins to the shopping mall favorite of today.
Turkey 203AD
The Legend of Saint Nicholas 280 AD– 1400
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. According to tradition, he became bishop of Myra, was imprisoned during the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Diocletian but was released under the rule of Emperor Constantine the Great. Over the course of many years, Nicholas's popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors.
Shrine in Natal Myra
He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church. By the 6th century his shrine there had become well-known.
Healing Manna in Bari
In 1087 Italian sailors or merchants stole his alleged remains from Myra and took them to Bari, Italy; this removal greatly increased the saint's popularity in Europe, and Bari became one of the most crowded of all pilgrimage centres. Nicholas's relics remain enshrined in the 11th-century basilica of San Nicola at Bari, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day.
The Real Face of Santa
Saint Nicholas, mystery surrounds his life and death
Protector of Sailors
By the Renaissance, St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation, when the veneration of saints began to be discouraged, St. Nicholas maintained a positive reputation, especially in Holland.
Sailors, claiming St. Nicholas as patron, carried stories of his favor and protection far and wide. St. Nicholas chapels were built in many seaports.
Growing Popularity
As his popularity spread during the Middle Ages, he became the patron saint of Apulia (Italy), Sicily, Greece, and Lorraine (France), and many cities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Nicholas was so widely revered that thousands of churches were named for him, including three hundred in Belgium, thirty-four in Rome, twenty-three in the Netherlands and more than four hundred in England.
From Catholics to Protestants
Through the centuries St. Nicholas has continued to be venerated by Catholics and Orthodox and honored by Protestants.
Saint Nicholas Today
St. Nicholas' feast day, December 6th, is widely celebrated in Europe. In Germany and Poland, boys dressed as bishops beg alms for the poor—and sometimes for themselves! In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrives on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds. December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands St. Nicholas is celebrated on the 5th, the eve of the day, by sharing candies (thrown on the doorstep), chocolate letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the saint's horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts.
Sources: Library of Columbia University, Bartelby.com, Wikipedia, biography.com, National Geographic
By Claudia Schalkx
Claudia is a multilingual consultant fluent in Spanish, English, Italian, and Dutch with over 25 years international experience in communications, public relations & marketing. She was born in Venezuela from Dutch parents, has lived and worked in Venezuela, Colombia, Curacao, St. Maarten, USA, Italy and The Netherlands where she resides. She is Colors Chief Editor. Her duties include content selection, revision & editing, finding and attracting collaborators, and identifying new business opportunities for Liberty Publications. More info
Infograghy: Filmagen / Images: "Santa Claus", William Holbrook Beard, Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art; Wikipedia, baritoday.it, mlive.com, "St Nicholas with Saints", 19th C., Russia, The Elsner Collection; "St Nicholas of Bari banishing the Storm", Bicci di Lorenzo, Ashmolean Museum; Flickr / Roel Wijnants / Florence Loopjistein; Coca Cola Santas, Haddon Sundblom.
Video: Santa Claus, The Real Face of Santa (1/4) by Francesco Introna, Professor of Forensic Pathology at the University of Bari, Italy / Youtube
