The story of Santa Claus Revealed

The story of Santa Claus Revealed
Norman A. Rubin
(At Christmas time we imagine a jovial figure dressed red driving a sleigh full of toys and gifts pulled by a herd of reindeer striped roofs. Or maybe it really is a figure of the past and not what is expected.)

From the early history of almost all men of European culture has marked the winter solstice with a feast for the rebirth of the earth. At the time of the time, always carried out the appropriate rituals and held the earth to be born again from the winter knockout, its importance is obvious. Many are aware that this that is behind our Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The lack of significance is indicated by the fact that no attempt was made to Christianize the festival until the middle of the fourth century. In the seventh century, when English Puritans actually outlawed in
other festivals of this kind does not protest.

The truth is our current holiday festivities are almost entirely an innovation of the nineteenth century in which three elements came together. One, the English writer, Charles Dickens, with his stories Christmas, the most famous "A Christmas Carol" was the native element. The second was Germanic, as Prince Consort to the throne of England that, in 1840, created a Christmas tree for his children at Windsor Palace. The other element was the U.S., although it was to merge with a relic of pagan Britain.

The U.S. contribution to the element of Santa Claus arrived by a circuitous route that the early years of the colonization of America is called Saint Nicholas. The Dutch who settled what was called New Amsterdam, now New York, had imported a custom of his home country of Holland. The sixth of December is the feast of their patron saint. Nicholas of Myra. The day was traditionally marked by a figure with red and white vestments Episcopal visiting all the households that had children. If the Young has been good all year, were rewarded with small gifts. If not subject to a mild form of punishment at the hands of the assistant who accompanied Klaubauf to St. Nicholas.

In 1822, Clement Moore, professor of Greek and Hebrew at the State University of New York, delighted by custom, wrote a fifty-six line poem "The visit of St. Nicholas, with his now famous line:
"T'was the night before Christmas when all through the house
Not a creature stirred, not even a mouse … "

The poem was just for your children, your audience, the first time I read, counted a lady who prepared for anonymous publication in a local newspaper. The story was later adopted by Thomas Nast, an illustrator of the magazine from Bavaria. Went the person who was St. Nicholas, now shortened his name to Santa Claus or Klaus (Sankt Nikolaus from the Dutch) in the cheerful, ruddy, bearded figure who became the personification of Christmas.

Soon people across the United States, Santa Claus began to lose some connection with his Dutch and religious past. Secularization went further when he crossed the Atlantic to the British Isles in the mid-nineteenth century. Here the figure quickly merged with an old character, Father Christmas or Old Christmas, which had been on the Mummer plays probably since pre-Christian era.

During the following years, The process continued with Father Christmas / Santa Claus, acquiring characteristics that increasingly separated him from his original descent. Save on the country of the Netherlands, where tradition of St. Nicholas is still celebrated. Within the Holy and not usually associated with six of December, but Christmas Holiday December twenty-fifth, and his address is moved to the North Pole, from where it travels in a flying sleigh drawn by a team of flying reindeer. Today Santa Claus is still the bearer of gifts, but the idiosyncratically most homes on the road enters the chimney and exit ", which travel up with fire and smoke ..".

"And a Merry Christmas to all … "

NOTE:
1) The reindeer is still important to the economy of the Lapps of northern Europe, but another source of income increase. This is tourism, since it is a highly visited place that is supposed to be the place where Santa Claus lives, and at Christmas time the post office is flooded with letters children happy at that figure.

2) In the days when fireplaces were common, children write their requests to Father Christmas on pieces of paper then thrown on fire when burning ash and allowed to drift up the chimney and float in the wind, which was expected of their requests is not reached before Christmas.

About the Author

Former correspondent for the Continental News Service, now retired.