Some people have always known the origin of Santa Claus but others still do not know where he came from. Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply “Santa”, is a figure which was derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, a historical, legendary figure who in many Western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve on 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. A nearly identical story is attributed by Greek and Byzantine folklore to Basil of Caesarea. Basil’s feast day on January 1 is considered the time of exchanging gifts in Greece. A well-known folk legend associated with Santa Claus 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, popularized in the song Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, 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 that make the toys in the workshop and the reindeer that pull his sleigh. Nicholas was a generous man. That seems to be true. But it seems that Nicholas was the “Superman” of the day. One story claims that he provided money for three poor young ladies to get married. One had decided she was going to sell herself as a prostitute to get money so that her other two sisters could get married. Nicholas came to her rescue in the nick of time and secretly provided the money. Santa Clause is still one of the memorable figures during Christmas that remains significant, this is because his appearance seems very important to those who come across him. iruikmo@yahoo.com
