Santa Claus

is one of the central symbols of the Christmas holiday, but what do we

know about him and his origins?

We know that

he has a belly that shakes like a bowlful of jelly, most likely because

he enjoys cookies at nearly every stop he makes. He travels by a flying

reindeer-drawn sleigh, delivers toys around the world and lives in the

North Pole, but where did these stories originate? Who was Santa Claus

before he became the legend that he is today?

According to

many sources, the story begins toward the end of the third century in

Myra, what is now known as Turkey. The bishop of Myra was a man who went

to children and the poor each year. One famous story claims that three

daughters wished to get married but their widowed father did not have

enough money for dowries. After hanging their stockings to dry by the

fireplace one night, St. Nicholas arrived and dropped enough gold in each

of the stockings so that the girls could marry.

St. Nicholas

died in 340 A.D. but his remains were taken to Italy in the 11th century

all over the world to worship at the church and stories of Saint Nicholas

spread. In the 12th century Germany, France and Holland started to celebrate

St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6 of each year. It was a religious holiday in

which the children and the poor would receive gifts.

When Dutch

settlers arrived in America, they brought with them tales of Sinterklaas,

a man dressed in a red bishop uniform that rode a white horse. Over the

years, the story evolved, borrowing parts of the St. Nicholas legend as

well as some new creations.

In the poem,

"A Visit From St. Nicholas," more affectionately known as "'Twas

the Night Before Christmas,"

there is a description that blends the two characters. Until recently

it was believed that this ballad was written in 1822 for Clement Clarke

Moore's two daughters, and later anonymously published in the Troy Sentinel

in New York on Dec. 23, 1823. But, according to University of Toronto

English Library, in 2000, Don Foster, in his book "Author Unknown:

On the Trail of Anonymous," was able to demonstrate that Moore could

not have been the author. Foster concluded that it was probably written

of the peace and was one of the first New Yorkers to enlist in the Revolutionary

Army.

An 1860 illustration

makes the man appear more plump and kindly and the story started to spread

around the world again.

Each nation

has its own name for the man and, though some parts of the story are different,

most of it is the same. Santa Claus rewards good children with gifts and

punishes bad children with coal or a few whacks with a switch. Some countries

hang stockings out on Christmas Eve while others leave out shoes to collect

gifts. Which, in the case of this author, would not be a good idea.

Whether it

is Pere Noel in France, England's Father Christmas, Italy's La Befama

or the U.S.'s plump and jolly old St. Nick, the story of a magical, gift-giving,

benevolent man that can see all is a comforting one for children of all

ages.

Back

to the Top of the Page