Santa Claus is one old dude. We all know that. Just look at how white
his beard and hair are, right? But did you know that the legend of
Santa Claus, and St. Nick, go back nearly to the time of Christ, nearly
2,000 years ago? No? Well then, sit back, pour yourself a hot
chocolate, grab yourself a plate of cookies, and get ready for the
story of Santa Claus.
It is said that around the year 280 A.D., there was a man born by the
name of Nicolas. He was born in the Near East in a town called Patara.
To find it today, look on a map or a globe for the country of Turkey,
near Greece. It was there that the man who would become Santa Claus was
born.
Nicolas had a big heart, so big that he became a monk and devoted
himself to his god and his religion. But Nicolas also was a big fan of
his family and his neighbors, and he also devoted himself to them. Word
spread in his homeland and far and wide about how kind and generous
Nicolas was. Nicolas was born into wealth, and stories soon spread
about how Nicolas gave away all of his family's money to the poor, the
sick, and anyone else he came across who needed it.
He became so famous that Nicolas was known as the protector of all
children (and sailors too). Once, he even saved three young girls,
sisters, from being sold into slavery by their father. Their father,
you see, needed money, and was going to make a fortune by selling his
daughters. Instead, Nicolas came to their rescue by offering the father
money for the girls, and then setting them free.
No wonder that Nicolas became Saint Nicolas after his death. For
hundreds of years, Europeans celebrated him on the date of his death,
December 6. Some even say that Saint Nick was the most popular saint in
all of Europe during the end of the Middle Ages. December 6 was always
considered a lucky day for this very same reason.
How did Saint Nick go from being the protector of children to Jolly Old
Saint Nick, the guy we know as Santa Claus, who not only protects
children, but brings them great gifts too? Well, that's one heck of a
long story, and it involves a manger, and baby Jesus. We probably all
already know that story by heart.
But what you may not know is that the end of December was already a big
deal in Europe before Christmas was started. It was during this time of
year that many Europeans celebrated that winter was almost over. They
would have great feasts, celebrated the harvest of their wine and their
beer, and the coming of spring and the sun. So then it made perfect
sense that when people also started celebrating the birth of Baby
Jesus, that the two traditions would meld.
The notion of feasting and celebrating a holiday of lights, the
happiness and giving of Saint Nick, and the hope and love brought by
Baby Jesus, all of it merged to form the perfect holiday: Christmas.
And who makes sure that it happens every year? None other than Santa
Claus.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
