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Reverted edits by AnonFTW (Talk) to last version by Aschlafly
[[Image:Thomas Nast Santa Claus.JPG|300px|right|thumb|Santa Claus, by Thomas Nast]]
[[Image:Christmas Eve 1862.jpg|thumb|'''Christmas Eve 1862.''' Nast shows the wife and husband thinking of each other on Christmas Eve. The illustrations in the top corners show Santa visiting homes and military camps.]]
: ''This article is about the American legendary secret Christmas gift-giver. For the real man behind this legend, see [[Saint Nicholas]].''
'''Santa Claus''', or simply "Santa", is an [[United States of America|American]] popular cultural icon, probably of [[Holland|Dutch]] origin. He has been a regular staple of the American observance of [[Christmas]] for about two centuries or more, and exported to prominence in much of the world.
== Origins ==
The ultimate basis of Santa Claus is [[Saint Nicholas]], the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[Bishop]] of [[Myra]]. 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 ''Sinter Klaas'' 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]] (hence the name [[New York]]), this mythical character gained a new name: Santa Claus.
In the early nineteenth century, at least three prominent Americans contributed to the Santa Claus legend we know today:
# [[Washington Irving]]
# [[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>
# [[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.)
== Features of the Santa Claus Legend ==
[[Image:Santa Claus 2.gif|right]]
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 catagorised. The means by which this is achieved is rarely elaborated on.
# Rewards for the good, and punishment for the bad. Traditionally, the good children receive toys and the bad lumps of coal. Due to the unfamiliarity of a lump of coal to modern children, some variations substitute other undesirable gifts.
# 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.
== External links ==
*[http://www.the-north-pole.com/history/ History of Santa Claus]
*[http://www.moroni10.com/Jesus-santa.html How the Claus Stole Christmas], Kelly Bingham, ''The Signpost'', Nov 30, 2005
== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Culture]]