Did you know that Santa Claus has a history of his own? Today you will open the mystery of Santa. Here goes the history of Santa Claus.
Origin of Santa
If you are interested to know about the origin of Santa then you have to peep into the history of St. Nicholas, who was a Bishop and lived in the fourth century AD in a place called Myra in Asia Minor, which is now known as Turkey. Nicholas was a very rich man, who inherited wealth from his parent who died early. He was a generous man and helped everyone whom he saw was in need. He was very famous for giving surprise gifts.
The famous story of St. Nicholas
There was a poor man who had three daughters and he could not accumulate money for his daughter’s marriage. On a winter night the daughters hung up their stockings above the fireplace to dry them and then Nicholas poured gold coins from the chimney that landed in the stockings. This way he kept giving gold coins and the man could get her daughters married, one after the other. Due to his kindness, he became a Saint.
The reason why St. Nicholas died remains unknown to mankind. As per history, he died on 6th December either 345 or 352 AD.
St. Nicholas becomes Santa
During the 16th century, the story of St. Nicholas was forgotten by many. So, in England, to make people more aware of St. Nicholas they held the character of Nicholas and gave gifts to children. They also celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day on 6th December every year. St. Nicholas again became popular in the Victorian era as writers, poets and artists rediscovered the history of Santa Claus.
Coca-Cola first gave the modern Santa Claus as it began its Christmas advertising in the 1920s with shopping-related ads in magazines like The Saturday Evening Post. The first Santa ads used a strict-looking Claus, in the vein of Thomas Nast.
The Different Names
Did you know that Santa Claus is known by many different names in different countries? In the United Kingdom, he is also known as Father Christmas, in addition to Santa. In France, he is known as Papa Noel or Pere Noel, whereas in the United States, he is known as Kris Kringle. In Poland, people call him Swiety Mikolaj, meaning St. Nicholas, and in Germany, he’s called Weihnachtsmann, translating to Christmas Man in English. So, which of these is your favorite?
Interesting Santa Facts
- ‘Ho Ho Ho’ is Santa’s way of expressing his joy and happiness, not his way of laughing at people (you now get it?)
- The famous poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” also known as “The Night Before Christmas,” written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822, played a significant role in shaping the popular image of Santa Claus. This poem introduced several elements of the modern Santa, such as the sleigh, reindeer, and jolly personality.
- If you’ve been wondering if Santa is married, here’s some good news. He did it on February 14, 1815, to his beloved Holly McBride, now popularly known as Mrs. Claus. They will be celebrating their 208th anniversary in 2023. Furthermore, Santa and Mrs. Claud both have Canadian passports.
- Santa has an official pilot’s license, which was issued by the United States government in 1927.
