Santa Claus
In the 4th century, a Greek Christian bishop named Nicholas lived in Myra, now known as Demre, within the Roman Empire's Lycia region. This man became famous for his generosity toward the poor, particularly when he provided dowries to three impoverished daughters so they would not be forced into prostitution. His life was dedicated entirely to Christianity from an early age, and he remains the patron saint of children today. In 1087, during a time when Muslim Seljuq dynasty forces had subjugated the area, merchants from Bari removed major bones from his sarcophagus. These sailors took the relics to Bari against the wishes of local monks, where they are enshrined in the Basilica di San Nicola. Sailors collected only half of the skeleton, leaving minor fragments behind that were later taken by Venetian sailors during the First Crusade. Scientific investigations confirmed that the relics in both Italian cities belong to the same original skeleton. During the Middle Ages, gifts were bestowed upon children on the evening before December 6, which was Saint Nicholas's name day. The Reformation later moved this gift-giving date to December 24 or 25 to focus interest on Christ rather than saints.
The figure of Father Christmas dates back to 16th-century England during the reign of Henry VIII. He appeared as a large man wearing green or scarlet robes lined with fur, typifying the spirit of good cheer at Christmas. This character brought peace, joy, food, wine, and revelry to celebrations. As England stopped keeping the feast day of Saint Nicholas on December 6, the Father Christmas celebration shifted to December 25 to coincide with Christmas Day. A children's party given in England on the 26th of December 1842 featured venerable effigies including one of Father Christmas with a scarlet coat and cocked hat stuck all over with presents for guests. John Leech illustrated the Ghost of Christmas Present in Charles Dickens's novella A Christmas Carol published in 1843. This image showed a great genial man in a green coat lined with fur who took Ebenezer Scrooge through bustling streets of London on current Christmas morning. The Victorian revival included Father Christmas as an emblem of good cheer, though his physical appearance remained variable throughout history.
In 1823, an anonymous poem titled A Visit from St. Nicholas appeared in the Troy New York Sentinel on December 23. Clement Clarke Moore later claimed authorship, though others argued Henry Livingston Jr wrote it before dying nine years prior to Moore's revelation. The poem described Saint Nicholas as chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf with a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly. By 1845, Kris Kringle became a common variant of Santa in parts of the United States. Thomas Nast, a German-born American cartoonist, immortalized Santa Claus with an illustration for the 3rd of January 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly. In this drawing, Santa wore an American flag and had a puppet named Jeff written on it, reflecting the American Civil War context. His Christmas image in the Harper's issue dated the 29th of December 1866 was a collage titled Santa Claus and His Works which included the caption Santa Claussville N.P. The phrase Santa Claussville N.P. appeared on the curved border above the large word Claus. A boy from Colorado writing to the children's magazine The Nursery in late 1874 said if they did not live so very far from the North Pole, he would ask Santa Claus to bring him a donkey.
Haddon Sundblom depicted Santa Claus for The Coca-Cola Company's Christmas advertising during the 1930s. This image spawned urban legends claiming Santa was invented by The Coca-Cola Company or that his red suit colors promoted their brand. White Rock Beverages used a Santa figure in monochrome advertisements for mineral water in 1915. Between 1923 and 1925, the same company used color images of Santa Claus in adverts for drink mixers. Earlier, Santa Claus appeared dressed in red and white essentially in his current form on several covers of Puck magazine in the first few years of the 20th century. In 1937 Charles W Howard established the Charles W Howard Santa School, the oldest continuously run such school in the world. Rose O'Neill illustrated Santa for the 1903 issue of Puck magazine. L Frank Baum published The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus as a children's book in 1902. His work gave Neclaus a home in the Laughing Valley of Hohaho with ten reindeer who could not fly but leapt in enormous bounds. In 1912 actor Leedham Bantock became the first person identified as having played Santa Claus in a film titled Santa Claus.
In Hungary, Saint Nicolaus or Father Winter comes on the night of December 5 while children get gifts the next morning. They receive sweets if good behavior is shown, but golden-colored birch switches if they were naughty. On Christmas Eve Little Jesus comes to give gifts for everyone. In Slovenia, Saint Nicholas Miklavž brings small gifts for good children on the eve of December 6. Božiček brings gifts on the eve of December 25, and Dedek Mraz brings gifts in the evening of December 31 to be opened on New Years Day. In Kyrgyzstan, a mountain peak was named after Santa Claus after a Swedish company suggested it be an efficient starting place for present-delivering journeys worldwide. A Santa Claus Festival was held in the capital Bishkek on the 30th of December 2007 with government officials attending. The Guinness World Record for largest gathering of Santa Clauses occurred in Thrissur Kerala India on the 27th of December 2014 when 18,112 Santas participated. Another record attempt happened in Derry City Northern Ireland on the 9th of September 2007 when 12,965 people dressed up as Santa or helpers.
The United States Postal Service operates Operation Santa which began in 1912 at the historic James Farley Post Office in New York. This program organizes letters addressed to Santa and allows volunteers to adopt and respond to them. Canada Post replied to approximately one million letters or more each year from 2002 to 2014 answering over 24.7 million letters total. As of 2015, they responded to over 1.5 million letters annually in more than 30 languages including Braille. In France, La Poste received the most letters for Santa Claus in 2006 with 1,220,000 letters from 126 countries. A team of 60 postal employees sent reply cards in response to 80,000 online request forms and more than 500,000 physical letters by the 6th of December 2010. NORAD Tracks Santa originated in 1955 when a Sears-Roebuck ad incorrectly printed their hotline number leading Continental Air Defense Command to receive calls intended for Santa. The program transferred to NORAD when it was jointly founded by the United States and Canada in 1958.
Various Christian denominations hold differing opinions ranging from acceptance to denouncement of Santa Claus. Calvinists such as Puritans disliked both Santa Claus and Christmas believing lavish celebrations were not in accordance with their faith. Mary Baker Eddy founder of Christian Science movement wrote children should not be taught that Santa Claus has anything to do with this Christmas pastime because deceit is never wise. Under Marxist-Leninist state atheism doctrine after 1917 foundation, Soviet Union prohibited Christmas celebrations along with other religious holidays. In December 2018 city management office of Langfang Hebei province China released statement saying people caught selling Christmas trees or Santa figures would be punished. Psychologists generally differentiate between telling fictional stories featuring Santa Claus and actively deceiving child into believing he is real. Most children become developmentally able to believe in Santa Claus around age three or four but belief declines precipitously when they reach seven or eight years old. In 1978 study 85% of American five year olds believed Santa was real while only 25% of eight year olds still did.
Common questions
Who was the historical figure behind Santa Claus?
The historical figure behind Santa Claus was a Greek Christian bishop named Nicholas who lived in Myra during the 4th century. He became famous for his generosity toward the poor and remains the patron saint of children today.
When did Saint Nicholas's relics end up in Bari Italy?
Merchants from Bari removed major bones from Saint Nicholas's sarcophagus in 1087 when Muslim Seljuq dynasty forces had subjugated the area. These sailors took the relics to Bari against the wishes of local monks where they are enshrined in the Basilica di San Nicola.
What poem established the modern image of Santa Claus?
An anonymous poem titled A Visit from St. Nicholas appeared in the Troy New York Sentinel on the 23rd of December 1823. Clement Clarke Moore later claimed authorship while others argued Henry Livingston Jr wrote it before dying nine years prior to Moore's revelation.
How many Santas participated in the Guinness World Record event in India?
The Guinness World Record for largest gathering of Santa Clauses occurred in Thrissur Kerala India on the 27th of December 2014 when 18,112 Santas participated. Another record attempt happened in Derry City Northern Ireland on the 9th of September 2007 when 12,965 people dressed up as Santa or helpers.
When did NORAD Tracks Santa originate and why?
NORAD Tracks Santa originated in 1955 when a Sears-Roebuck ad incorrectly printed their hotline number leading Continental Air Defense Command to receive calls intended for Santa. The program transferred to NORAD when it was jointly founded by the United States and Canada in 1958.