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 The
Real St. Nicholas
Santa
Claus Most people can agree on what Santa
Claus looks like - jolly, with a red suit, white
beard and pleasantly plump. But he did not always
look that way. The image of Santa Claus
ranged from big to small and fat to tall. Santa even
appeared as an elf and looked a bit spooky.
Santa Claus Costumes for
Men
As legend has it, St. Nicholas was born in A.D. 270
in the ancient Turkish port city of Patara. He
became Bishop of a nearby town called Myra (now
called Kale), and after a life full of miracles and
acts of charity, died on December 6, A.D. 343. He
was canonized a saint in the Ninth Century.
During this time,
Christian beliefs
blended with the existing religious heritage of its
converts. The holy days of the Christmas season were
celebrated side-by-side with many local feasts and
festivals. By the 13th Century, French nuns
celebrated the feast of St. Nicholas by leaving food
at the doors of the poor. As his legend grew, the
feast of St. Nicholas became a day of gift giving in
Germany and Holland.
Shortly thereafter, St. Nicholas became associated
with Christmas and the birth of Christ.
Throughout the centuries, Santa Claus has been
depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to an
elf. He has worn a bishop's robe and a Norse
huntsman's animal skin. The modern-day Santa
Claus is a combination of a number of the
stories from a variety of countries. For example,
the reindeer and sleigh are from Scandinavia, while
the pipe and chimney are from Holland.
The Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa
Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862; Santa was shown
as a small elf-like figure who supported the Union.
Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years and along
the way changed the color of his coat from tan to
the now traditional red.
The Coca-Cola Company began its Christmas
advertising in the 1920s with shopping-related print
ads in magazines like the Saturday Evening Post. The
first Santa ads used a strict-looking Claus, in the
vein of Thomas Nast.
Santa Claus made an appearance in Coca-Cola
advertising again in 1930. Artist Fred Mizen painted
a department store Santa in a crowd drinking a
bottle of Coke®. The ad featured the world's largest
soda fountain, which was located in the department
store of Famous Barr Co. in St. Louis, Mo. Mizen's
painting was used in print ads that Christmas
season, appearing in the Saturday Evening Post on
December 27, 1930.
Santa Claus Costumes
for Women
But when
did Mrs. Claus come on the scene? Santa's wife has
always been depicted as the helpful spouse who likes
to bake cookies!
Katharine Lee
Bates, who is
responsible for
the song
“America the
Beautiful”,
published a set
of books in
1899. In those
books, a picture
of Mrs. Claus
appeared
although she was
not referred to
in words. It is
believed to be
the earliest
documented
appearance of
Mrs. Claus.
Since that time,
Mrs. Claus has
gained in
popularity, and
none of us can
seem to forget
that Mrs. Claus
is Santa Claus’s
wife.
Santa Claus Costumes
for Kids
During the Christmas season in
The United States,
Santa Claus
visits each Christian family on Christmas Eve. Many
children follow the customs of their ancestors by
leaving a treat for
Santa and his helpers, in hopes
of finding a few surprises under the Christmas tree.
Often children fall asleep before the first
footsteps of
Santa's
reindeers ever alight on the
roof top. In the morning the sleepy young ones awake
with great anticipation for they know that
Santa
Claus knows everything about them and will reward
them with gifts or punish them with coal, depending
on the kind bishop's memory!
Santa
Claus Costumes and Customs in modern America.
Santa
Claus has many different costumes depending upon
which
culture has adopted him as a patron saint,
legend or myth. In
Turkey, for instance, his image
and costume is very traditional, while in Italy, his
icon reflects the style most found in Italy. Guys,
get your
Santa Claus
costume now for the best choice.
Many of the customs we follow today were brought to
New York by the Dutch settlers. The New York
Historical Society celebrated its first St. Nicholas
feast on December 6, 1810. But what really
created the version of Santa Claus, who we recognize
as a jolly man in a red suit, was given to us
through the poem, "A visit from St. Nick, now known
as the famous, "'Twas the Night before Christmas" by
Clement
Clarke Moore.
 Santa
Claus Costumes and Customs. The Real St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas was a bishop in the fourth century in a
place called Myra, which was a town in Turkey.
Emperor Justinian built a church in St. Nicholas'
honor which became the center of pilgrimages until
1087. According to Christian teachings, his remains
were transferred to Italy, during the Muslim
Invasion of Turkey. Nicholas, a 4th-century Turkish
saint who went on to become Father Christmas, still
rests in a crypt in the Basilica de San Nicolain a
church in Bari, located in southern Italy.
St. Nicholas's Feast Day is December 6th. Even today
European traditions show us that children put their
shoes on the window sill on the eve of St. Nicholas'
Day, to find them the next morning filled with
fruit, nuts and sweets! On his feast day, St.
Nicholas draws their attention to the coming of the
Holy Child, and upon giving his blessing to each of
the family members, takes his leave.
Santa Claus Costumes and Customs in Austria.
Santa Claus is honored on the eve of St. Nicholas
Feast Day.. His generosity is portrayed when the
holy bishop himself, would visit the family
once a year. St. Nicholas would read from the book
of Guardian Angels, rewarding each member of the
family for good behavior, while Krampus admonishes
for bad. St. Nicholas then draws the families'
attention to the coming of the Christ Child, later
in December.
 Santa Claus Costumes and Customs in
Belgium
Gifts are not given at Christmas time, in this small
country, as it is
preserved as a strictly religious
feast. But St. Nicholas’s Day is quite another
thing! In fact, it has been reported that in the
recent years, Santa Claus arrived in a helicopter.
He and his procession were seen arriving at a department store
for an enthronement ceremony, where he honored the
children with a personal greeting and a gift, which
was purchased by the parents earlier in the day!
Santa Claus Costumes and Customs in
the Netherlands
Santa Claus, (Sinterklaas dressed in the long red
robes of the bishop, arrives in Amsterdam by ship, a
full three weeks before his day. His servant, Black
Peter, accompanies him wearing an embroidered tunic,
puffed trousers, and a plumed cap. He can be seen
carrying switches to punish the
children who have
been bad. Santa Claus takes his job seriously in
Amsterdam. He, along with his entourage of Black
Peters, lead a parade to the Royal Palace. A
discussion
takes place with the mayor about the
behavior of the children the preceding year.
Several days before the feast of St. Nicholas, the
children would find taai-taii or ginger cake in
their stockings in the morning. On the eve of
December 6th, St. Nicholas, himself is
said to ride a white horse through the air, jumping
from roof to roof where he descends through the
chimney.
Dressed in a long tabard with mitre on his head ,
he
enters the living room of the family. There he finds
a row of baskets with hay and
carrots for his horse.
He fills each with sweets and toys if they have been
good or salt and soil if they have been bad. He
would be accompanied by his servant, who would be
prepared to capture the misbehaving children and
grind them up into tiny gingerbread cookies!!.
Santa Claus in Germany.
In
Germany, Saint Nicholas visits children's homes on ,
December 5, and delivers candy and other sweets to
be opened on December 6, Saint Nicholas Day.
According to one tradition, the Christkind (Christ
child) sends the gifts on Christmas Eve. This
tradition is most popular in the mainly Roman
Catholic region of southern Germany. In the
northern, mainly Protestant areas, parents usually
say the Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man) brings the
gifts. Most German families have a Christmas tree
that they decorate with lights, ornaments, and
tinsel. Spicy cakes called lebkuchen are made in
various shapes and used as decorations.
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