All Topics  
Santa Claus

 
Santa Claus

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Santa Claus



 
 
Santa Claus
Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus....
 (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy or simply Santa) is a folklore
Folklore

Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, superstitions, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions of that culture, subculture, or group ....
 figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ ....
. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus. In today's North American, European and worldwide celebration of Christmas, people young and old simply refer to the hero of the season as Santa, or Santa Claus.

Conventionally, Santa Claus is portrayed as a kindly, round-bellied, merry, bespectacled white man in a red coat trimmed with white fur, with a long white beard
Beard

A beard is the hair that grows on a person's chin, cheeks, neck, and the area above the upper lip. Typically, only males going through puberty, or post-pubescent males are able to grow beards....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Santa Claus'
Start a new discussion about 'Santa Claus'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Santa Claus
Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus....
 (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy or simply Santa) is a folklore
Folklore

Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, superstitions, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions of that culture, subculture, or group ....
 figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ ....
. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus. In today's North American, European and worldwide celebration of Christmas, people young and old simply refer to the hero of the season as Santa, or Santa Claus.

Conventionally, Santa Claus is portrayed as a kindly, round-bellied, merry, bespectacled white man in a red coat trimmed with white fur, with a long white beard
Beard

A beard is the hair that grows on a person's chin, cheeks, neck, and the area above the upper lip. Typically, only males going through puberty, or post-pubescent males are able to grow beards....
. On Christmas Eve, he rides in his sleigh pulled by flying reindeer
Reindeer

The reindeer , also known as the caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer, widespread and numerous across the northern Holarctic....
 from house to house to give presents to children. To enter the house, Santa Claus comes down the chimney
Chimney

A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside Earth's atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the stack effect....
 and exits through the fireplace
Fireplace

A fireplace is an architecture structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a Firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue directs gas and particulate exhaust to escape....
. During the rest of the year he lives together with his wife Mrs. Claus and his elves
Elf

An elf is a creature of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of minor nature and fertility deity, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and underground places and caves, or in wells and springs....
 manufacturing toys
Toys

Toys is a 1992 in film surreal comedy film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robin Williams, Michael Gambon, Joan Cusack, and Robin Wright-Penn....
. Some modern depictions of Santa (often in advertising and popular entertainment) will show the elves and Santa's workshop as more of a processing and distribution facility, ordering and receiving the toys from various toy manufacturers from across the world. According to American public opinion, Santa Claus
Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus....
 lives in the North Pole
North Pole

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface....
, though North Pole is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic North Pole region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions....
 and there is no land. According to legend the Santa Claus at Macy's
Macy's

Macy's is a chain of mid to high range United States department stores. Its flagship store in Herald Square, New York City has been billed as the "world's largest store" since 1924, although today it ties with London's Harrods in vastness of selling space....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 is often said to be the real Santa Claus.

Since most activities associated with Santa Claus are extraordinary, such as delivering presents to all of the believing children in one night, how he squeezes down chimneys, how he enters homes without chimneys, why he never dies, and how he makes reindeer fly, magic
Magic (paranormal)

Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a conceptual system that asserts human ability to control or predict the nature through Mysticism, paranormal or supernatural means....
 is usually used to explain his actions.

Origins

The modern Santa Claus is thought to be a composite character from the merging of quite separate figures.

Ancient Christian origins


The first of these is Saint Nicholas of Myra, an 4th century AD Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
 of Myra
Myra

File:Myra Theatre.JPGMyra is an ancient town in Lycia, where the small town of Kale is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey....
 in Lycia
Lycia

Lycia was a region in Anatolia in what are now the Provinces of Turkey of Antalya Province and Mugla Province on the southern coast of Turkey. It was a federation of ancient cities in the region and later a Roman province of the Roman Empire....
, a province of Byzantine
Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
 Anatolia
Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. He was born at Patara
Patara

Patara , later renamed Arsinoe , was a flourishing maritime and commercial city on the south-west coast of Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey near the modern small town of Gelemis, in Antalya Province....
, province of Lycia, Asia Minor. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. In Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 (more precisely the Netherlands, Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
, Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
 and Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
) he is still portrayed as a bearded bishop in canonical robes. The relics of St. Nicholas were transported to Bari
Bari

Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic sea, in Italy. It is the second economic centre of mainland Southern Italy and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas....
 in southern Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 by some enterprising Italian merchant
Merchant

Merchants function as professionals who deal with trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to produce profit....
s; a basilica
Basilica

The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a ancient Rome public building , usually located in the Forum of a Roman town. In Hellenistic cities, public basilicas appeared in the 2nd century BC....
 was constructed in 1087 to house them and the area became a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage

File:Supplicating Pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram. Mecca, Saudi Arabia.jpgIn religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long quest or search of great moral significance....
 site for the devout. Saint Nicholas became revered by many as the patron saint
Patron saint

A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges....
 of seamen, merchants, archers
Archers

Archers could refer to:*People who practice archery*The Royal Company of Archers, a Scottish ceremonial unit*The Archers, long running BBC Radio 4 soap opera...
, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers, pawn brokers, prisoners, the city of Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
 and of Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
. In Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
, Saint Nicholas is sometimes substituted for Saint Basil (Vasilis in Greek), a 4th century AD bishop from Caesarea. Also, a few villages in West Flanders
Flanders

Flanders is a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Over the course of history, the geographical territory that was called "Flanders" has varied....
, Belgium, celebrate a near identical figure, Sint-Maarten (Saint Martin of Tours).

Germanic folklore

Prior to the Germanic peoples' conversion to Christianity, Germanic folklore contained stories about the god Odin
Odin

Odin , is considered the chief ?sir in Norse paganism. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxons Woden and the Old High German Wotan, it is descended from Proto-Germanic *Wodanaz or *Wodanaz....
 (Wodan), who would each year, at Yule
Yule

Yule or Yule-tide is a List of winter festivals that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic peoples as a Germanic paganism religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christianity festival of Christmas....
, have a great hunting party accompanied by his fellow gods and the fallen warriors residing in his realm. Children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw
Straw

Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry wikt:stalk of a cereal plant, after the grain or seed has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat....
 or sugar
Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many other sources....
, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse
Horse

The horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolution of the horse over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, odd-toed ungulate animal of today....
, Sleipnir
Sleipnir

In Norse mythology, Sleipnir is an eight-legged horse. Sleipnir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson....
, to eat. Odin would then reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy
Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added....
. (Note that the Sleipnir has eight legs, corresponding to Santa's eight reindeer.) This practice survived in Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and became associated with Saint Nicholas. Children still place their straw filled shoes at the chimney every winter night, and Saint Nicholas (who, unlike Santa, is still riding a horse) rewards them with candy and gifts. Odin's appearance was often similar to that of Saint Nicholas, being depicted as an old, mysterious man with a beard. (Other features, like the absence of one eye, are not found in Saint Nicholas.) This practice in turn came to the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 via the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam

New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonization of the Americas settlement that later became New York City.The town developed outside of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in the New Netherland Territory which was situated between 38 and 42 degrees latitude as a provincial extension of the Dutch Republic as of 1624....
, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 and New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 prior to the British seizure in the 17th century, and evolved into the hanging of socks or stockings at the fireplace.

Another early folk tale, originating among the Germanic tribes, tells of a holy man (sometimes Saint Nicholas), and a demon
Demon

In religion, folklore, and mythology a demon is a supernatural being that is generally described as a malevolent spirit. In Christian terms demons are generally understood as fallen angels, formerly of God....
 (sometimes the Devil, Krampus, or a troll
Troll

A troll is a fearsome member of a race of creatures from Norse mythology. Originally more or less the Nordic equivalents of giant , although often smaller in size, the different depictions have come to range from the fiendish giants ? similar to the ogres of England ? to a devious, more human-like folk of the wilderness, living underground...
). The story states that the land was terrorized by a monster who at night would slither down the chimneys and slaughter children (disembowelling them or stuffing them up the flue
Flue

A flue is a Duct , pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or Electrical generator to the outdoors....
, or keeping them in a sack to eat later). The holy man sought out the demon, and tricked it with blessed or magical shackles (in some versions the same shackles that imprisoned Christ
Christ

Christ is the English language term for the Greek meaning "the anointing", which is a title given to the Reigning Messiah in the given age of the Zodiac....
 prior to the crucifixion
Crucifixion

Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution , whereby the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead....
, in other versions the shackles were those used to hold St. Peter or Paul of Tarsus
Paul of Tarsus

Saint Paul, also called Paul the Apostle, the Apostle Paul or Paul of Tarsus , was a Hellenistic Judaism, who called himself the "Apostle to the Gentiles", and was, together with Saint Peter and James the Just, the most notable of early Christian missionaries....
); the demon was trapped and forced to obey the saint's orders. The saint ordered him to go to each house and make amends, by delivering gifts to the children. Depending on the version, the saint either made the demon fulfil this task every year, or the demon was so disgusted by the act of good will that it chose to be sent back to Hell
Hell

In many religious traditions, Hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife, often in the underworld. Religions with a linear Divinity history often depict Hell as endless ....
. Yet other versions have the demon reform under the saint's orders, and go on to recruit other elves and imps
IMPS

IMPS stands for Instant Messaging and Presence Service. It is an Open Mobile Alliance enabler for Instant Messaging and Presence. The Wireless Village consortium developed the first cut of the specifications....
 into helping him, thus becoming Santa Claus. In an alternate Dutch version, the saint is aided by Moorish slaves, commonly typified as Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet

In the folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Flanders, Zwarte Piet is a Companions of Saint Nicholas whose yearly feast in the Netherlands is 5 December and 6 December in Flanders, when they distribute presents to all good children....
 ("Black Peter"). Some tales depict Zwarte Piet beating bad children with a rod or even taking them to Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 (formerly ruled by the Moors
Al-Andalus

Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to the parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Arab Muslims, at various times in the period between 711 and 1492....
) in a sack.

Another form of the above tale in Germany is of the Pelznickel or Belsnickle ("Furry Nicholas") who visited naughty children in their sleep. The name originated from the fact that the person appeared to be a huge beast since he was covered from head to toe in furs.

Modern origins

Pre-modern representations of the gift-giver from church history and folklore merged with the British character Father Christmas to create the character known to Britons and Americans as Santa Claus. Father Christmas dates back at least as far as the 17th century in Britain, and pictures of him survive from that era, portraying him as a well-nourished bearded man dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, and was reflected in the "Ghost of Christmas Present" in Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens, Royal Society of Arts , pen-name "Boz", was the most popular English people novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous Reform movement....
's A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas is a book by Charles Dickens that was first published on December 19, 1843 with illustrations by John Leech ....
.

The name Santa Claus is derived from Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas

||-||-||-||-||-||-||}Sinterklaas and Saint Nicolas in French) is a traditional Winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, Aruba, Netherlands Antilles and Belgium, celebrated every year on Saint Nicholas' eve or, in Belgium, on the morning of December 6....
, the Dutch
Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic languages spoken by over 22 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as a second language."1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language speakers of Dutch is very small. Most native...
 name for the mythical character based on St. Nicholas. He is also known there by the name of Sint Nicolaas which explains the use of the two fairly dissimilar names Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas or St. Nick.

Sinterklaas wears clothing similar to a bishop's. He wears a red miter (a liturgical headdress worn by bishops and abbots) with a 'golden' cross and carries a bishop's staff. The connection with the original bishop of Myra is still evident here. He rides a white horse over rooftops and his helpers climb down chimneys to deposit gifts (sometimes in children's shoes by the fireplace). Sinterklaas arrives from Spain on a steamboat
Steamboat

A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam engine, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels....
 and is accompanied by his assistant Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet

In the folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Flanders, Zwarte Piet is a Companions of Saint Nicholas whose yearly feast in the Netherlands is 5 December and 6 December in Flanders, when they distribute presents to all good children....
.
Santaandgoat
Presents given during this feast are often accompanied by poems, sometimes fairly basic, sometimes quite elaborate pieces of art that mock events in the past year relating to the recipient (who is thus at the receiving end in more than one sense). The gifts themselves may be just an excuse for the wrapping, which can also be quite elaborate. The more serious gifts may be reserved for the next morning. Since the giving of presents is Sinterklaas's job presents are traditionally not given at Christmas in the Netherlands, but commercialism is starting to tap into this market. In other countries, the figure of Saint Nicholas was also blended with local folklore. As an example of the still surviving pagan
Paganism

Paganism is the blanket term given to describe religions and spiritual practices of pre-Christian Europe, and by extension a term for polytheistic?traditions or folk religion?worldwide seen from a Western or Christian viewpoint....
 imagery, in Nordic countries
Nordic countries

File:Location Nordic Council.svgThe Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and far northeastern North America, called the Nordic region, consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories which include the Faroe Islands, Greenland and ?land....
 there is the Yule Goat
Yule Goat

The Yule Goat is one of the oldest Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbols and traditions. Yule Goat originally denoted the goat that was slaughtered around Yule, but it may also indicate a goat figure made out of straw....
 (Swedish julbock), a somewhat startling figure with horns which will deliver the presents on Christmas Eve, and a straw goat is a common Christmas decoration. Later, in Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
 and Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
, the gift bringer was seen as identical with the Tomte
Tomte

A tomte or nisse is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore originating from Norse paganism. Tomte or Nisse were believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep....
,
or tomtenisse, another folklore creature. In Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
, the Yule goat is joulupukki.

American origins

In the British colonies of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and later the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver merged further. For example, in Washington Irving
Washington Irving

Washington Irving was an United States author, essays, biography and history of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon His historical works include biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmi...
's History of New York, Sinterklaas was Americanized into "Santa Claus" but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving's book was a lampoon
Lampoon

Lampoon may refer to one of the following:*Parody*The Thai actor and singer Amphol Lampoon*Harvard Lampoon, a noted humor magazine**National Lampoon magazine, a defunct offshoot of Harvard Lampoon...
 of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention.

Modern ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the publication of the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas
A Visit from St. Nicholas

"A Visit from St. Nicholas" is a poem first published anonymously in 1823. It is largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and names of Santa Claus's reindeer, and the tradition that he brin...
" (better known today as "The Night Before Christmas") in the Troy, New York
Troy, New York

Troy is a city in New York, United States, and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York. As of the United States Census 2000, the population was 49,170....
, Sentinel on December 23, 1823. The poem is ascribed to Clement Clarke Moore
Clement Clarke Moore

Clement Clarke Moore is the credited author of A Visit from St. Nicholas .Clement Clarke Moore was most famous in his own day as a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia College of Columbia University ....
, although there is some question as to his authorship. In this poem Santa is established as a heavyset individual with eight reindeer (who are named for the first time). Santa Claus later appeared in various colored costumes as he gradually became amalgamated with the figure of Father Christmas, but red soon became popular after he appeared wearing such on an 1885 Christmas card
Christmas card

A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to the Christmas season....
. Still, one of the first artists to capture Santa Claus's image as we know him today was Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast

Thomas Nast was a famous German-American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist in the 19th century and is considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon."...
, an American cartoonist
Cartoonist

A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. Traditionally much of this work was, and still is, humorous, and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes....
 of the 19th century. In 1863, a picture of Santa illustrated by Nast appeared in Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly

Harper's Weekly was an United States political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor....
 (it is believed the inspiration for his image came from the Belsnickel
Belsnickel

File:Earoot-belz.jpgBelsnickel is the fur-clad Santa Claus of the Palatinate in northwestern Germany along the Rhine, the Saarland, and the Odenwald region of Baden-W?rttemberg....
). Another popularization came in 1902 in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark.Story...
 by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum was an United States author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W....
, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's literature novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M....
.

Images of Santa Claus were further cemented through Haddon Sundblom
Haddon Sundblom

Haddon Hubbard "Sunny" Sundblom was a United States artist best known for the images of Santa Claus he created for The Coca-Cola Company.Sundblom was born in Muskegon, Michigan to a Swedish language-speaking family....
's depiction of him for The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company, largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world and is one of the largest corporations in the United States....
's Christmas advertising. The popularity of the image spawned urban legend
Urban legend

An urban legend, urban myth, or urban tale is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them....
s that Santa Claus was in fact invented by Coca-Cola. Nevertheless, Santa Claus and Coca-Cola have been closely associated, except for 2005 when Santa was replaced in advertising by Coca-Cola's polar bears.

The image of Santa Claus as a benevolent character became reinforced with its association with charity and philanthropy
Philanthropy

Philanthropy derives from Latin, meaning "to love people". Philanthropy is the act of donation money, goods, services, time and/or effort to support a socially beneficial cause, with a defined objective and with no financial or material reward to the donor....
, particularly organizations such as the Salvation Army
Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the Christian Church. It has a quasi-military structure and it was founded in 1865 in Great Britian as the East London Christian Mission by William Booth and Catherine Booth....
. Volunteers dressed as Santa Claus typically became part of fundraising
Fundraising

Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering money or other gifts in kind, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies....
 drives to aid needy families at Christmas time.

Some suspect that the depiction of Santa at the North Pole reflected popular opinion about industry at the time. In some images of the early 20th century, Santa was depicted as personally making his toys by hand in a small workshop like a craftsman.
N001069
Eventually, the idea emerged that he had numerous elves responsible for making the toys, but the toys were still handmade by each individual elf working in the traditional manner. By the end of the century, the reality of mass mechanized production became more fully accepted by the Western public. That shift was reflected in the modern depiction of Santa's residence—now often humorously portrayed as a fully mechanized production facility, equipped with the latest manufacturing technology, and overseen by the elves with Santa and Mrs. Claus
Mrs. Claus

Mrs. Claus is the wife of Santa Claus. Unlike Santa Claus, however, she does not have a counterpart in folklore or mythology, but was the creation of American authors....
 as managers [see Nissenbaum, chap. 2; Belk, 87-100]. Many television commercials depict this as a sort of humorous business, with Santa's elves acting as a sometimes mischievously disgruntled workforce, cracking jokes and pulling pranks on their boss. Santa Claus continues to inspire writers and artists, such as in author Seabury Quinn
Seabury Quinn

Seabury Grandin Quinn was a pulp magazine author most famous for his stories of the occult detective Jules de Grandin, published in Weird Tales with great success....
's 1948 novel
Novel

File:2009 stapelweise Neuerscheinungen im Buchladen.JPGA novel is today a long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern Romance and in the tradition of the novella....
  Roads. Other additions to early ideas of Santa include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a character created in a story and song by the same name. The story was created by Robert L. May in 1939 as part of his employment with Montgomery Ward....
, the ninth reindeer immortalized in a Gene Autry
Gene Autry

Orvon Gene Autry was an United States performing arts who gained fame as "Singing cowboy" on the Radio in the United States, in Cinema of the United States and on Television in the United States for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s....
 song, written by a Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward

Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that is somewhat connected to the former American department store chain, founded as the world's first mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward....
 copywriter. Adding even more to the legend, a current popular comic book
Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
 series Jingle Belle
Jingle Belle

Jingle Belle is a cartoon character created by Paul Dini. She's Santa Claus' spoiled teen-age daughter. The stories depict Jingle's usually contentious relationship with her famous father....
 by writer/cartoonist Paul Dini
Paul Dini

Paul Dini is an United States television producer of animated cartoons. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond an...
 depicts Santa Claus as a harried father with a rebellious half-human, half-elf teenage daughter.

Santa Claus rituals

See: Santa Claus
Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus....


Santa Claus in film


Songs

Santa's Galop
Over the years, Santa Claus has inspired several songs and even orchestral works. As early as 1853, Louis Antoine Jullien
Louis Antoine Jullien

Louis Antoine Jullien was a France conducting.Jullien was born in Sisteron, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and was baptised Louis George Maurice Adolphe Roche Albert Abel Antonio Alexandre No? Jean Lucien Daniel Eug?ne Joseph-le-brun Joseph-Bar?me Thomas Thomas Thomas-Thomas Pierre Arbon Pierre-Maurel Barth?lemi Artus Alphonse Bertrand Dieudo...
 composed an orchestral piece titled Santa Claus which premiered to mixed reviews in New York that year [Horowitz, 213]. More popular, well-known songs about Santa Claus (mostly sung by children) include:
  • "Christmas All Over the World
    Christmas All Over the World

    Christmas All Over the World, was the end-credits ballad featured in the Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind Production Santa Claus: The Movie, released in November 1985 by Tri-Star Pictures....
    " (1985) by Bill House and John Hobbs, from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Santa Claus: The Movie
    Santa Claus: The Movie

    Santa Claus: The Movie is a 1985 in film Christmas film starring Dudley Moore and John Lithgow. It is the last major fantasy film movie producer by the Paris-based father-and-son production team of Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind....
    , sung by Sheena Easton
    Sheena Easton

    Sheena Shirley Orr, better known by her stage name, Sheena Easton is a Scotland singer and actress. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the United Kingdom television program The Big Time , which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract, and got her a deal with EMI....
    .
  • "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
    Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

    Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer is a novelty song Christmas song and the eponymous animated movie.Written by Randy Brooks, the song was originally performed by the husband and wife duo of Elmo Shropshire and Patsy Shropshire in 1979....
    " (1979) by Randy Brooks, recorded by Elmo Shropshire
    Elmo Shropshire

    Elmo Shropshire , better known as Dr. Elmo, is a singer of comedy songs, most notably "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." He originally recorded the song in 1979 with his then-wife Patsy....
     and Patsy Trigg.
  • "Here Comes Santa Claus
    Here Comes Santa Claus

    "Here Comes Santa Claus " is a Christmas song written by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman.Autry was inspired to write this song after riding his horse in the 1946 Hollywood Boulevard Christmas Parade in Los Angeles, California, to which the crowds chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus"....
    " (1947) by Gene Autry
    Gene Autry

    Orvon Gene Autry was an United States performing arts who gained fame as "Singing cowboy" on the Radio in the United States, in Cinema of the United States and on Television in the United States for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s....
     and Oakley Haldeman
    Oakley Haldeman

    Oakley Haldeman was a songwriter , composer, author and the general manager for a music publisher. He joined ASCAP in 1949, and his other popular-song compositions include "Brush Those Tears From Your Eyes", "I Wish I Had Never Met Sunshine", "Tho' I Tried", "Pretty Mary", "Texas Polka", "Honey Child", "Vic'try Train", "Last Mile", and "Texan...
    .
  • "I Believe in Father Christmas
    I Believe in Father Christmas

    "I Believe In Father Christmas" is a song by Greg Lake . Although it is often categorised as a Christmas song this was not Lake's intention. Lake wrote the song in protest at the commercialisation of Christmas....
    " by Greg Lake
    Greg Lake

    Greg Lake is an England bass guitarist, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer....
     and Peter Sinfield
    Peter Sinfield

    Peter John Sinfield is an English writer and artist, most famously known as the lyricist for early incarnations of King Crimson. He contributed to In the Court of the Crimson King, In the Wake of Poseidon, Lizard and Islands , which he also produced....
    .
  • "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" traditional.
  • "Little Saint Nick
    Little Saint Nick

    "Little Saint Nick" is a Christmas song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love and originally performed by The Beach Boys. It was first released as a single in December 1963, reaching #3 on the Christmas charts, and then re-recorded for their 1964 album The Beach Boys' Christmas Album....
    " by Brian Wilson
    Brian Wilson

    Brian Douglas Wilson is a Grammy Award-winning United States musician best known as a member of the American rock and roll band, the Beach Boys....
    , performed by The Beach Boys
    The Beach Boys

    The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing....
    .
  • "The Night Santa Went Crazy
    The Night Santa Went Crazy

    "The Night Santa Went Crazy" is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. The song is a style parody of several songs: "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake , "Mama, I'm Coming Home" by Ozzy Osbourne, and "Black Gold " by Soul Asylum....
    " (1996) by "Weird Al" Yankovic
    "Weird Al" Yankovic

    Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an United Statesn singer-songwriter, music producer, actor, comedian and satire. Yankovic is known in particular for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts....
     (satire
    Satire

    Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre; although, in practice, it is also found in the graphic arts and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, ideally with the intent to bring about improv...
    ).
  • "Santa Baby
    Santa Baby

    "Santa Baby" is a 1953 Christmas song written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer. Although Tony Springer is listed as co-writer, he was a legal fiction in publishing house BMI....
    " (1953) by Joan Javits, Philip Springer, and Tony Springer
    Tony Springer

    Tony "Wild T" Springer is a Canada blues-rock guitarist.Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Springer played with a number of reggae and Calypso music bands as a teenager....
    , performed by Eartha Kitt
    Eartha Kitt

    Eartha Mae Kitt was an American actor, singer, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her 1953 Christmas song "Santa Baby". Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world." She took over the role of Catwoman for the third season of the 1960s Batman television series, replacing Julie Newmar, who was unavaila...
    .
  • "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
    Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

    "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" is a Christmas song. It was written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934....
    " (1935) by J. Fred Coots
    J. Fred Coots

    John Frederick Coots was an United States songwriter. He wrote over 700 songs.He is most famous for the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", a song that became one of the biggest best sellers in American music history....
     and Haven Gillespie
    Haven Gillespie

    James Lamont "Haven" Gillespie was a Tin Pan Alley composer and lyricist. He was the writer of the classic Christmas song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" as well as "You Go to My Head", "Honey", "By the Sycamore Tree", "That Lucky Old Sun", "Breezin' Along With The Breeze, "Beautiful Love", "Drifting and Dreaming", and "Louisiana Fairy Tale"...
    .
  • "Up on the Housetop" traditional.

Christian opposition to Santa Claus

See: Santa Claus
Santa Claus

Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus....


See also

  • Christmas
    Christmas

    Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
  • Christmas Eve
    Christmas Eve

    Christmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ ....
  • Companions of Saint Nicholas
    Companions of Saint Nicholas

    File:Krampus Morzger Pass Salzburg 2008 10.jpgThe Companions of Saint Nicholas are a group of closely related figures who accompany St. Nicholas in many European traditions....
  • Father Christmas
    Father Christmas

    Father Christmas is the name used in many English language speaking countries for the gift-bringing figure of Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France Spain , Portugal , Italy and Romania ....
  • Ho ho ho
    Ho ho ho

    Ho ho ho is a rendition of a particular type of deep-throated laughter or chuckle Also as "expressing laughter" is recorded from circa 1150....
  • Saint Nicholas of Myra
  • Zwarte Piet
    Zwarte Piet

    In the folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Flanders, Zwarte Piet is a Companions of Saint Nicholas whose yearly feast in the Netherlands is 5 December and 6 December in Flanders, when they distribute presents to all good children....


External links

  • "Official" Santa Claus site:
  • The Original 1860s Illustrations
  • - the Web's oldest Santa-related website, founded in 1991 by former Library of Congress
    Library of Congress

    The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books....
     archivist
    Archivist

    An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value....
     Jeff Guide