Who Is Santa Clause

It may seem like an admans dream, Santa Clause that is, but still behind the man lies a humble, saintly bishop bringing the Christian message of hope and charity.

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Don't you see him now, a old man, white beard, dressed in a red suite bringing gifts struggling to deliver at least one present to every child in the world. Yet fewer people realize now that this old kind man is based on reality. The name actually originated in Holland 'Sinter Klass,' meaning 'St Nicholas’.

Still, behind the figure which most embodies the commercial nature of Christmas in the minds of the public, we find a humble and saintly Bishop, and a clear Christian message for our times: the need for generosity both towards our neighbours, and towards God.

St. Nicholas was a catholic priest and later the Bishop of Myra in what is now modern Turkey and he lived around 280-343, the Catholic Church celebrate his feast on the 6 December each year. With the march of time and the evolution of 'Sinter Klass' into 'Santa Clause' it becomes difficult for the historian to give us a very accurate picture of the saint.

The legend says that as a child he was a prayerful and some have it that he even refused his mother's milk on Fridays to keep the Church discipline of abstinence! Yes well it is hard to separate fact from fiction. Maybe he could refuse the milk because he apparently came from a rich family. When bishop he tried to give presents to his people and this he done at night so that people would not know it was him.

The most famous story about Nicholas comes from his time as a Bishop. It seems a poor man had no money to provide a dowry for his three daughters. Bishop Nicholas climbed onto the roof of the house and dropped three bags of gold down the chimney. These landed in the socks that were hanging by the fire to dry, explaining today's tradition of Christmas stockings.

The three bags of gold, incidentally are the origin of the pawnbrokers' symbol of three golden balls, as St. Nicholas is also their patron saint.

While much of the foregoing is undoubtedly legendary, or at least embellished by the ages, it is a fact that in 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian demanded that all the citizens of the empire worship him as a god. This order applied to the territories of Asia Minor as well. Many Christians were imprisoned or killed for their refusal to worship the emperor. When he too refused to submit, the Bishop was arrested and held in a small cell for more than 5 years.

In 313, Constantine came to power and Nicholas was released. Christianity was no longer oppressed, and Nicholas returned to serve Myra as Bishop. He remained in that post until his death, on December 6, 343.

His fame for sanctity spread rapidly, with the first churches in his name being built around 450. By 800, he was recognized as a saint in the Eastern Church, and by 1200, St. Nicholas' Day was celebrated in Paris. By the 1400s, St. Nicholas was the most popular religious figure, apart from Jesus and Mary, with more than 2,000 chapels built in his honor.

The Origin of Santa When Dutch settlers came to New Amsterdam in the 1500s, they brought with them their tradition of St. Nicholas (“Sinter Klass”), and this tradition spread more generally, the name being converted in the process to Santa Claus.

The image of St. Nicholas gradually changed to that “right jolly old elf” described by Clement Clarke Moore in his “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known as “ `Twas the Night Before Christmas.” He traded in his mitre and crozier to dress “all in fur, from his head to his foot.” The illustrations for a series of advertisements for Coca-Cola gave Santa his current “look,” whose red cap and suit are known the world over.

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