Welcome! If you're here for the first time, this is merely one of many posts I've done recently about the history of our Christmas traditions. If you're intrigued, please browse previous entries, and come back for more!
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I've had various phases of Santa Claus throughout my life. In my younger years, I was like any other child, waiting in eager anticipation for his arrival to receive my gifts, yet inquiring details such as how he could get into our house since we had no chimney.
Eventually I learned the truth behind the magic of presents appearing under our tree. Santa became just another thing of Christmas.
In my more recent years, images of his face seen everywhere induce a creepy factor that ranks a little below that of Ronald McDonald.
All in all, Santa seems to dominate Christmas much more than baby Jesus. That has been a source of irritation to me...until I started to learn where Santa came from in the first place. Admittedly, this led to a sense of satisfaction that though people may try to keep Jesus out of Christmas, their celebration of Santa Claus still stems from deeply embedded Christian roots.
Santa Claus (through the course of language root words and translations over the years) came from the Saint Nicholas, born somewhere between the years 260-280 AD in what is now modern-day Turkey. He was raised to be a devout Christian. His wealthy parents died when he was still young, leaving him a substantial inheritance. The young Nicholas took Jesus' words to heart to sell all his possessions and give to the poor, ultimately giving away his inheritance to those who needed the help.
He lived a life dedicated to God and was eventually named Bishop of Myra. He was well-known for his generosity and concern for the poor, particularly children. He traveled throughout the land, helping whoever he could. It is said that he did not like to be seen giving money and gifts, so he would leave his gifts at night, sometimes tossing them in through open windows.
Probably the most popular story I read (with varying details, of course) tells of a poor man with three daughters. The time came for the daughters to be married, but the father could not afford a dowry for each of them. He decided to sell one of the daughters into slavery to provide a dowry for the other two. Nicholas heard of this, and left three bags of gold at this family's house - one for each daughter - to provide for the dowry and prevent the one daughter from being sold.
During Nicholas's life, the Emporer Diocletian began persecuting Christians. Nicholas was thrown into prison for five years. Once the Emporer was replaced by Constantine, Nicholas was released and he resumed his life's work.
Nicholas died in the year 313 AD. His life and good works led people to celebrate him for years to come. His name eventually made it over to early America, where his character has grown and evolved into a red-suited obese man who lives at the North Pole.
In the 1800s, Santa Claus was said to drive a wagon pulled by horses and dropped gifts down chimneys. He was also described as smoking a pipe and wearing baggy pants. Later, the famous poem "The Night Before Christmas" was written, thus creating the image of a man who rode in a flying sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer, among other descriptors.
All throughout the world Santa is celebrated as part of the winter season. Each culture varies in their practices, from hanging stockings over the fireplace to leaving wooden shoes on the doorstep. But regardless of the arrival of gifts, Santa remains known as a generous man who bestows his wealth on children.
Next post: A Pear Tree with a What? And Why Are the Ladies Dancing?
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