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In the ninth century AD, coincident with the [[Muslim]] invasion and re-invention of [[Rome|Roman]] [[Asia Minor]] as the [[Ottoman Empire]], the bones of Saint Nicholas were transported to [[Europe]]. The many legends about this bishop—including a persistent legend about the "[[manna]]" coming from his body after his death—fostered the growth of new legends of Saint Nicholas being somehow larger than life.

In the ninth century AD, coincident with the [[Muslim]] invasion and re-invention of [[Rome|Roman]] [[Asia Minor]] as the [[Ottoman Empire]], the bones of Saint Nicholas were transported to [[Europe]]. The many legends about this bishop—including a persistent legend about the "[[manna]]" coming from his body after his death—fostered the growth of new legends of Saint Nicholas being somehow larger than life.

[[Holland|Dutch]] settlers in [[New Amsterdam]] brought with them the tradition surrounding this new legend of Saint Nicholas, whom they called ''Sinterklaas'' in their language (and still do today).<ref name=Santa>Anonymous, "[http://www.lnstar.com/mall/main-areas/santafaq.htm Santa Claus Facts, Origins, and Fun Tidbits]," ''Lone Star Internet'', 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2007</ref> With the British takeover of [[New Netherland]] by troops loyal to the then-incumbent Duke of York, this mythical character gained a new name: Santa Claus.

The figure of St. Nicholas the Bishop was secularized in the middle of the 19th century and lost its regalia (religious vestments, staff, miter, etc.), with the garments of northern climates taking the place of the liturgical garb.  One of the first descriptions that resembles today's form of Santa Claus comes from a poem by New Yorker William Gilley. In 1821 he described ''Santeclaus'' as completely dressed in fur and riding on a sleigh pulled by reindeer.<ref>https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/opinion/a-history-of-santa-claus/article_55a6faec-c3bb-11e6-89a9-f7dc0b2899aa.html</ref>

A year later another depiction was written into the poem ''"Twas the night before Christmas, or A Visit from St. Nicholas"'' by Clement Clarke Moore from New York, which had a much greater influence. His description of St. Nicholas as a jolly, harmless elf was far removed from his former role as a bishop:

# [[Clement Moore|Clement C. Moore]], author of ''[[The Night Before Christmas]]''<ref name=TNBC>Clement Clarke Moore, "[http://www.lnstar.com/mall/main-areas/Night_B_Xmas.html The Night Before Christmas (A Visit by St. Nicholas)]," 1823. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from [http://www.lnstar.com/mall/main-areas/santafaq.htm Santa Claus Facts, Origins, and Fun Tidbits]</ref>

:''He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,''

# [[Thomas Nast]], the famous [[cartoon]]ist, who, in 1881, drew the classic [[portraits|portrait]] of Santa Claus that survives today. (The image of Santa was progressively elaborated by illustrator Thomas Nast, who depicted a rotund Santa for Christmas issues of Harper's magazine from the 1860s to the 1880s.)

:''And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;''

:''A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,''

:''His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!''

:''His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!''

:''His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,''

:''And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;''

:''The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,''

:''That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.''<ref>https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43171/a-visit-from-st-nicholas</ref>

The German-American Thomas Nast, who emigrated to New York in 1846 and became known as a cartoonist in the United States, drew an old, bearded man for Harper's Weekly magazine during the American Civil War during Christmas in 1863. Nast's idea of ​​Santa Claus dates back to the German regional Palatinate "Belzenickel", a fur-wearing Santa Claus figure from the 19th century which he knew from childhood, but was hardly pro-child; this particular figure would arrive in the weeks before Christmas carrying a bundle of wooden rods, and upon learning which were naughty instead of nice, he would use the rods to spank them. His version of Santa Claus was first bedecked in starry top and striped pants, more in keeping with [[Uncle Sam]]'s appearance during the war (he supported the Union effort); it would later evolve over the course of thirty years into the familiar the outfit of red fur trimmed in white, with Nast drawing the face after himself.<ref>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/civil-war-cartoonist-created-modern-image-santa-claus-union-propaganda-180971074/</ref>

The hallmarks of the legend of Santa Claus include:

# A village located at the [[North Pole]], containing a toy factory and other facilities for the production and distribution of toys via a sled driven by flying reindeer.

# An uncanny ability to know whether any child has been "good" or "bad," typically in the form of a list of all children, appropriately categorized.

# Rewards for the good, and punishment for the bad. Traditionally, the good children receive toys and the bad lumps of coal.

# A requirement for belief: Santa is said to deliver only to those who believe in him. Non-believers get nothing.

# Secret comings and goings to make deliveries, via the chimney. In homes without fireplaces, some flexibility is required.

# Placement of small candies and similar "party favors" in children's stockings. Children are encouraged to leave a gift in return on Christmas Eve - tradition dictates a mince pie, a glass of sherry, and one or more carrots for the reindeer.

# Accomplishment of all this order fulfillment and delivery on one night of the year: the night of December 24–25. The date may vary in different cultures.

== See also ==

== See also ==