Santa Claus

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This article is about the American legendary secret Christmas gift-giver. For the real man behind this legend, see Saint Nicholas.

Santa Claus is an American popular cultural icon, probably of Dutch origin. He has been a regular staple of the American observance of Christmas for about two centuries or more.

Origins

The ultimate basis of Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Myra. In the ninth century AD, coincident with the Muslim invasion and re-invention of 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.

Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam brought with them the tradition surrounding this new legend of Saint Nicholas, whom they called Sinter Klass in their language (and still do today).[1] 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:

  1. Washington Irving
  2. Clement C. Moore, author of The Night Before Christmas[2]
  3. Thomas Nast, the famous cartoonist, who drew the classic portrait of Santa Claus that survives today.

Features of the Santa Claus Legend

The hallmarks of the legend of Santa Claus include:

  1. A toy factory located at the North Pole
  2. An uncanny ability to know whether any child has been "good" or "bad."
  3. An order tracking, fulfillment, and transportation system that would be the envy of any corporation, especially an American one.
  4. Secret comings and goings to make deliveries
  5. Placement of small candies and similar "party favors" in children's stockings
  6. Accomplishment of all this order fulfillment and delivery on one night of the year: the night of December 24-25.

References

  1. ↑ Anonymous, "Santa Claus Facts, Origins, and Fun Tidbits," Lone Star Internet, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2007
  2. ↑ Clement Clarke Moore, "The Night Before Christmas (A Visit by St. Nicholas)," 1823. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from Santa Claus Facts, Origins, and Fun Tidbits
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