The originally Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the
4th century. He was very pious from an early age, devoting his life
to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the
poor. But the Romans held him in contempt. He was imprisoned and
tortured. But when Constantine became emperor of Rome, he allowed
Nicholas to go free. Constantine became a Christian and convened the
Council of Nicaea in 325. Nicholas was a delegate to the council. He
is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity.
He is the patron saint of sailors, Sicily, Greece, and Russia. He is
also, of course, the patron saint of children. The Dutch kept the
legend of St. Nicholas alive. In 16th century Holland, Dutch
children would place their wooden shoes by the hearth in hopes that
they would be filled with a treat. The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas as
Sint Nikolaas, which later became Sinterklaas, and finally, in
Anglican, to Santa Claus. In 1822, Clement C. Moore composed his
famous poem, 'A Visit from St. Nick,' which was later
published as 'The Night Before Christmas.' Moore is the
person behind creating the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly
fat man in a red suit. Still today also we visualize the same image
of Santa Claus.Santa Claus is associated with
Saint Nicholas. This article tells us the idea and concept behind
this association.
History Behind Santa Claus
History tells us that the origin of Santa Claus
begins in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, and
an area in present day Turkey. By nature St. Nicholas was a generous
and honest man, particularly devoted to children. He use to love
them a lot. After his death around 340 A.D. he was buried in Myra,
but in 1087 Italian sailors purportedly stole his remains and
removed them to Bari, Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas'
popularity throughout Europe. His kindness and reputation for
generosity and love for children gave rise to claims he that he
could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas
became the patron saint of Russia, where he was famous for his red
cape, flowing white beard, and bishop's mitre. In Greece, he is the
patron saint of sailors; in France he was the patron of lawyers, and
in Belgium the patron of children and travelers. Thousands of
churches across Europe were dedicated to him and some time around
the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his
honor. The Feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated on 6 December and
gift giving and charity marked the day.
The originally Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the
4th century. He was very pious from an early age, devoting his life
to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the
poor. But the Romans held him in contempt. He was imprisoned and
tortured. But when Constantine became emperor of Rome, he allowed
Nicholas to go free. Constantine became a Christian and convened the
Council of Nicaea in 325. Nicholas was a delegate to the council. He
is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity.
He is the patron saint of sailors, Sicily, Greece, and Russia. He is
also, of course, the patron saint of children. The Dutch kept the
legend of St. Nicholas alive. In 16th century Holland, Dutch
children would place their wooden shoes by the hearth in hopes that
they would be filled with a treat. The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas as
Sint Nikolaas, which later became Sinterklaas, and finally, in
Anglican, to Santa Claus. In 1822, Clement C. Moore composed his
famous poem, 'A Visit from St. Nick,' which was later
published as 'The Night Before Christmas.' Moore is the
person behind creating the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly
fat man in a red suit. Still today also we visualize the same image
of Santa Claus.
The originally Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the
4th century. He was very pious from an early age, devoting his life
to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the
poor. But the Romans held him in contempt. He was imprisoned and
tortured. But when Constantine became emperor of Rome, he allowed
Nicholas to go free. Constantine became a Christian and convened the
Council of Nicaea in 325. Nicholas was a delegate to the council. He
is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity.
He is the patron saint of sailors, Sicily, Greece, and Russia. He is
also, of course, the patron saint of children. The Dutch kept the
legend of St. Nicholas alive. In 16th century Holland, Dutch
children would place their wooden shoes by the hearth in hopes that
they would be filled with a treat. The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas as
Sint Nikolaas, which later became Sinterklaas, and finally, in
Anglican, to Santa Claus. In 1822, Clement C. Moore composed his
famous poem, 'A Visit from St. Nick,' which was later
published as 'The Night Before Christmas.' Moore is the
person behind creating the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly
fat man in a red suit. Still today also we visualize the same image
of Santa Claus.