Saint Nicholas | Is Santa Clause Real or just our Imagination?
Saint Nicholas | Santa Claus Is Real or Fake?
Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was very rich and came from a wealthy family. After his parents died, he gave all of his money away to the poor and needy and dedicated his life to Christianity. Saint Nicholas | Is Santa Clause Real?
Later on, Saint Nicholas transformed into the legendary character called Santa Clause. There are numerous confusions related to Santa Clause and Saint Nicholas. This article gives a detailed account of this topic.
Is Santa Clause Real?
Is Santa Claus a Real Person, What should I tell my kids? How old is he? Where does he live? We will try to find the answer to all such questions in this Article on Santa Clause and prove that Santa Claus was a Real Person you should tell the kids, how old is he and where does he live? Saint Nicholas | Is Santa Clause Real?
Santa Claus is one of the Most Revered Persons in the Globe
If I say that Santa Claus is the most revered and famous person in the modern world, then it won’t be an exaggeration. To be more precise, Santa is the most loved person on the planet. Still, is Santa Claus real? This is a very relevant topic today. If I say that Santa Claus is the most revered and famous person in the modern world, then it won’t be an exaggeration. To be more precise, Santa is the most loved person on the planet. Still, is Santa Claus Real ? is a very relevant topic today.
If I say that Santa Claus is the most revered and famous person in the modern world, then it won’t be an exaggeration. To be more precise, Santa is the most loved person on the planet. Still, is Santa Claus real? This is a very relevant topic today.
Santa’s touch is felt all over the world every Christmas. His popularity seems to be increasing rapidly. If it is happening, if he wasn’t real?
Every Year, billions of kids, young boys, girls & adults await for Santa to come and shower his love and affection.
Kids all over the world go crazy just to get one glimpse of Santa Claus.
Come December, every Mall and local market become flooded with Santa Claus posters showing a Chubby, Blue Eyed, white-bearded person in Red looking with love towards everyone.
Still, there are people who sometimes doubt the very existence of Santa Claus. They keep asking, “Is Santa Claus real?”
Tell Children the Truth !!
Is Santa Claus real? Tell the children the truth! Santa Claus’s legacy goes back hundreds of years somewhere in modern-day Turkey. There was a famous monk called Saint Nicholas who was born around 260 A.D. into a Christian family.
His birthplace was near the town of Myra ( now known as Demre ). It is situated on the southwest coast of modern Turkey.
Saint Nicholas studied to be a priest. He was imprisoned by the Roman Empire owing to his beliefs, as at that time Christianity was considered illegal.
However, the emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, and Saint Nicholas was elected Bishop of Myra.
Saint Nicholas defended his people against imperial taxes and other forms of oppression.
Some fifth-century documents also assert that Saint Nicholas prevented three loyal generals from being executed for treason.
Similarly, a ninth-century Greek legend claims he revived three scholars who had been murdered and stashed in a pickling tub.
SANTA – The Savier
Saint Nicholas also saved three girls whose poor fathers wanted to sell them into prostitution.
Saint Nicholas has become quite famous in his lifetime for his kindness and supportive approach toward the people.
Even after his death in 343 AD, people believed that he was still doing miracles.
His burial place, below the floor of his church, became a popular destination for pilgrims who begged St. Nicholas to relay their petitions to God.
“Manna”( holy oil or water ) that dripped from the tomb was believed by the masses that Saint Nicholas was listening. They used to take this manna in little bottles or used rags to sop up the moisture that dripped from the saint’s tomb in its subterranean crypt.
Soon, pilgrims from all over Christendom started visiting Myra to seek the gifts of protection and healing from the saint.
The Saint, it was believed, was especially attentive to children.
Dispute on Pilgrimage
This pilgrimage was disrupted in the 11th century when Seljuk Turks invaded Anatolia. Christians feared that the Muslims who now governed Demre would disregard the saint’s tomb.
So, the pious Italian Christians decided to take action. In 1087, apparently, merchants dug up his bones and smuggled them to the Italian city of Bari, where they buried them.
The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas (a fourth-century Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra), the British figure of Father Christmas, and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas ( himself also based on Saint Nicholas ) .
The myth of Santa has grown to gigantic proportions. The general thought about Santa Claus is that he is able to know all, to judge each and every child, make reindeer fly, and do all these things at the North Pole.
Last but not the least, Santa Claus, with a myth that has grown to gigantic proportions, has slowly taken the position of God. He is doing the things that only God can do. To know more about “Is Santa Real ? Tell Children The Truth ! ” go through the following chart.
Santa Claus Chronology
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| Is Santa Claus Real or Fake? | A section of people always doubted the existence of Santa Clause. Do people often ask whether “Santa Clause is real or fake”?Santa Claus’s legendary can be traced back hundreds of years in 280 AD. He was born in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. There was a monk named Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was highly admired for his kindness, St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop who helped the needy. Later, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. |
Santa Claus Chronology
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| How did Saint Nicholas got Transformed into Santa Claus? | Saint Nicholas died in 343 AD at the age of 73 years. After his death, the legend of his gift-giving grew. Gradually, Saint Nicholas transformed into the legendary character called Santa Claus, who brings Christmas presents to children around the world. |
| What nationality was Saint Nicholas? | Greek |
| Santa belongs to which Race | In the Netherlands and Belgium, the character of Santa Claus has to compete with that of Sinterklaas, Santa’s presumed progenitor. Santa Claus is known as de Kerstman in Dutch (“the Christmas man”) and Père Noël (“Father Christmas”) in French. |
Santa Claus Chronology
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| How did St Nicholas die? | Saint died owing to Natural causes. ( 270 A.D. – 343 A.D. )St. Nicholas died in A.D. 343 and was interred at St. Nicholas church in Demre, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. In 1087, apparently, merchants dug up his bones and smuggled them to the Italian city of Bari, the Telegraph reported. |
| Saint Nicholas was buried in which location? | Basilica San Nicola, Bari, Italy . |
Santa Claus Chronology
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| Is Santa Still Alive | Santa Claus, as believed by a large section of people, is said to live at the North Pole with his wife, where he spends the year making toys with the help of his elves. Santa, at the north pole, receives letters from children asking for Christmas gifts. On Christmas Eve he loads his sleigh, drawn by eight reindeer, with toys and flies around the world, stopping at each child’s house. He slides down the chimney and leaves the gifts. He then enjoys the milk and cookies left for him by the children. |
Interesting Facts about Sant Nicholas
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| Is Nicholas in the Bible? | When the Church was still confined to Jerusalem, he was chosen by the whole multitude of the disciples to be one of the first seven deacons and he was ordained by the apostles. |
| Is Saint Nicholas really a saint? | Saint Nicholas of Myra is also known as Nicholas of Bari. He was a Christian bishop of the ancient Greek maritime city of Myra (modern-day Turkey ). He is revered by Christians and other communities as a saint globally. |
| How many reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh? | Santa Claus’s sleigh is led by Eight Reindeer: DasherDancerPrancerVixenCometCupidDunder and BlixemRudolph ( a 20th-century inclusion ) |
Interesting Facts about Saint Nicholas
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| What is the origin of Santa’s elves? | Santa’s elves are known for making toys in Santa’s workshop. Besides, they also took care of his reindeer and do similar tasks. For the first time, Louisa May Alcott introduced Santa elves in the literature in 1856. |
| Who said Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night? | “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas” and “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed authorship in 1837. |
Interesting Facts about Saint Nicholas
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| Who came up with the Christmas tree? | Modern Christmas trees originated during the Renaissance of early modern Germany. Its 16th-century origins are sometimes associated with Protestant Christian reformer Martin Luther, who is said to have first added lighted candles to an evergreen tree. |
| How was Christmas created? | Christmas is a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ’s day”) is of fairly recent origin. The earlier term, Yule may have derived from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the feast of the winter solstice. |
| What does Santa have to do with Christmas? | Santa is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved children on the night of Christmas Eve ( 24 December ) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day ( 25th December ). |
Often Searched for Facts about Saint Nicholas
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| Nick Names of Santa Claus | Santa Claus also has some other names: Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Pelznickel, Father Christmas, etc. Two of his names: are Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas: both come from the Dutch who settled in New York long ago. The Dutch believed Saint Nicholas gave gifts to children. |
| What is Father Christmas based on? | Saint Nicholas’s story of Father Christmas starts with Saint Nicholas, a bishop who lived in Myra, Asia Minor (what is now known as Turkey) in the fourth century. |
| What does Father Christmas represent? | Father Christmas’s common form is described in the Oxford English Dictionary. He is “the personification of Christmas as a benevolent, bearded old man, wearing a red-sleeved gown with white fur and carrying a sack of Christmas presents”. |
Often Searched for Facts about Saint Nicholas
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| Is Santa Claus and Father Christmas the same? | Santa Claus and Father Christmas might be considered distant cousins as they both find their roots drawn from the real-life Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived during the 4th century. However, Americans have their own version of Father Christmas and they call him Santa Claus or Kris Kringle. |
| What do the British call Santa? | Father Christmas. Father Christmas is exactly the same thing as the appearance of Santa Claus. Americans prefer to refer to him as Santa Claus. |
Often Searched for Facts about Saint Nicholas
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| Why is Santa called Noel? | Père Noël, “Father Christmas”, sometimes called Papa Noël ( “Daddy Christmas” ), is a legendary gift-bringer at Christmas in France and other French-speaking areas. He was identified with the Father Christmas or Santa Claus of English-speaking countries. |
| What is Santa called in Hawaii? | Kanakaloka.In Hawaii, Santa hats are worn and the traditional Santa sleigh and reindeer are replaced by an outrigger canoe pulled by dolphins. Santa Claus in Hawaii does not wear his symbolic red and white suit. He wears flowery Hawaiian clothes. |
Often Searched for Facts about Saint Nicholas
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| What is Santa called in Israel? | Nicola Abdou. He lives in the Wadi Nisnas neighborhood of Haifa. |
| Is Santa Claus a black man? | No. “Santa Claus Is a Black Man” is a Christmas song by record producer and songwriter Teddy Vann, performed by his daughter Akim Vann ( billed as Akim ) and his Teddy Vann Production Company for a 1973 single. |
Often Searched for Facts about Saint Nicholas
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| Does Italy have Santa Claus? | Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve ( the night of January 5 ) in a similar way to Santa Claus. Epifania is a Latin word with Greek origins meaning “manifestation ( of the divinity ) .” |
| What animal does Santa ride in Finland? | Reindeer. |
Often Searched for Facts about Saint Nicholas
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| Santa Starts his journey from where every year or Where does Santa go first in the world? | Father Christmas’ journey begins in the South Pacific, with his first stop at the Republic of Kiribati, a collection of 32 atolls in the Pacific Ocean. He next travels west, delivering presents to those in New Zealand and Australia, followed by Japan. |
| How did Santa get Associated With Christmas? | The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. |
SANTA CLAUS GLOBAL NAMES
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| COUNTRY | SANTA CLAUS NAME |
| Japan | Hoteiosho(a god or priest who bears gifts) |
| Belgium | Pere Noel |
| Brazil | Papai Noel |
| Chile | Viejo Pascuero( Old Man Christmas ) |
| China | Dun Che Lao Ren( Christmas Old Man ) |
Santa Claus Global Names
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| Czech Republic | Svatý Mikuláš |
| Netherlands | Kerstman |
| Finland | Joulupukki |
| France | Pere Noel |
Germany | Weihnachtsmann( Christmas Man ) |
| Hawaii | Kanakaloka |
| Italy | Babbo Natale |
Santa Claus Global Names
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| Norway | Julenissen( Christmas gnome ) |
| United Kingdom | Father Christmas |
| Hungary | Mikulas ( St. Nicholas ) |
| Russia | Ded Moroz( Grandfather Frost ) |
| Poland | Swiety Mikolaj(St. Nicholas) |
| Sweden | Jultomten( Christmas brownie ) |
SANTS CLAUS “SUIT” FACTS
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| What color was Santa Claus’s suit originally? | Prior to Nast’s work, Santa’s outfit was tan in color, and it was he who changed it to red, although he also drew Santa in a green suit. This change is often mistakenly attributed to the work of Haddon Sundblom, who drew images of Santa in advertising for the Coca-Cola Company in 1931. |
| Did Coca-Cola create Santa? | Coca–Cola commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus. |
Santa Claus “Suit Facts”
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| Who invented Santa? | Thomas NastIn 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the first likeness that matches our modern image of Santa Claus. His cartoon, which appeared in Harper’s Weekly, depicted Santa as a cheerful man with a full white beard, holding a sack laden with toys for lucky children |
| Why does Santa wear red? | The legend goes that Santa’s suit is red because of a hugely successful advertising campaign for Coca-Cola that featured a big Father Christmas wearing red robes with white trim, the colors of the soft drinks. But the red and white actually derive from the colors of Saint Nicholas. |
Santa Claus “Suit Facts”
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| Was Santa Claus ever blue? | German immigrants brought Santa Claus figurines to Ohio in the 1800s and the blue Santa was made thereBlue color was traditional for the Germans. |
| When did Santa become the red suit? | An 1881 illustration by Thomas Nast, Merry Old Santa, featured a plump man in a red–suit with a pipe and a rosy complexion. Santa Claus in a red suit was used to advertise confectionary. |
Points to Understand Santa Claus Better
SANTA Claus Modern Image: Scientific research proved that the real St. Nicholas looked very different from the modern-day image of Santa Claus.
In fact, he almost certainly had an oily skin tone, brown eyes, and grey or silver hair.
Scientists reconstructed his face using forensic technology. They found that the real saint had a badly broken nose.
The scientists surmised that St Nicholas might have received this injury during the persecution of Christians under the rule of Emperor Diocletian. Emperor Diocletian is famous for his act of dividing the Roman Empire.
Wonder Worker: The saint, commonly known as Nicholas, was a Wonderworker. He is attributed to many miracles to his intercession.
The well-known miracles include tales of calming stormy seas, chopping down a tree that was possessed by a demon, and saving three innocent soldiers from being put to death.
The Italian Connection: The Italian city of Bari mounted an expedition, in 1087, to locate the tomb of the Christian Saint and procure his remains in order to attract tourism to the area.
The reliquary of St Nicholas was desecrated by Italian sailors, and the spoils were taken to Bari, where they have kept it .
Non-Biblical Saint: For the past many centuries, St. Nicholas has been regarded as the world’s most popular non-biblical saint.
Erik the Red, his son, newly converted Christian Leif Eriksson, the Vikings were the first Europeans in the New World. They built a cathedral, in 1126, dedicated to St. Nicholas.
In the year 1492, Christopher Columbus named a port in Haiti for St. Nicholas. Similarly, the Spanish also named the St. Nicholas Ferry settlement (now Jacksonville, Florida) after him.
Prior to the Christianization of the Germans, numerous similarities were found between Santa Claus and Odin ( a major god of the Germanic peoples ).
As the legend goes, Odin kept two ravens that would listen to people’s chimneys to find out who was good or bad.
During the Germanic holiday of Yule, he led a great hunting party through the sky, riding an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir that could leap great distances. The whole story resembles the reindeer of Santa Claus.
Skaldic poetry refers to many names for Odin. Langbarr (“long beard”) and Jólnir (“Yule figure”) are to name a few.
Traditionally, children place their boots near the chimney, filling them with carrots, straws, or sugar for Sleipnir to eat.
Then Odin rewards those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir’s food with gifts or candy. Gradually, with the passage of time, boots were replaced by Christmas stockings.
Sweden and Norway: In many other countries, St. Nicholas was blended with local pagan folklore. In Nordic countries such as Sweden and Norway, the original bringer of gifts at Christmastime was the Yule goat.
In the 1840s, an elf in Nordic folklore called “Tomte” or “Nisse”—a short, bearded man dressed in a gray clothes hat—started at– started to deliver Christmas presents in Denmark. This new version of the folkloric creature was obviously inspired by the Santa Claus traditions that were gradually spreading to Scandinavia.
By the end of the 19th century, this tradition had also spread to Norway and Sweden, replacing the Yule Goat entirely.
Though the tradition of the Yule Goat as a bringer of presents is a thing of the past yet a straw goat is still a very common Christmas decoration in all of Scandinavia.
Dutch Santa Claus: Sinterklaas.
In Netherlands and Belgium, Sinterklaas delivers presents. They are also known as De Goede Sint ie.“The Good Saint”) and De Goedheiligman ie.“The Good Holy Man”.
The feast of Sinterklaas, “Sinterklaasfest,” originally combined philanthropy to the poor with parties on December 6. The feast is celebrated in many countries around the world.
In the Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas has helpers commonly known as Zwarte Piet (“Black Peter”) .
Famous Quotes on Santa Claus
There have been many well-known personalities in the world who have expressed their thoughts about Santa Claus.
Most of them admired the very existence of Santa and felt that the whole world is blessed to have a fairy character like Santa Claus.
Even if he is not real, they adore him in their thoughts and he comes into their dreams naturally as Christmas approaches every year, giving them a feeling of happiness and fulfillment making their lives full of joy and aspirations.
A few interesting quotes about Santa Claus are given below :
| To say there is no Santa Claus is the most erroneous statement in the world. Santa Claus is a thought that is passed from generation to generation. After time this thought takes on a human form. Maybe if all children and adults understand the symbolism of this thought we can actually attain Peace on Earth and goodwill to men everywhere. |
CHARLES W. HOWARD, “Santa Claus Oath”
| “Santa Claus is an imaginary figure who lives in the North Pole with no visible means of support. He is a 300-pound man who is supposed to be able to descend through a narrow chimney flue with a sack of toys on his back as a reward to good boys and girls. Someone has noted that Santa Claus flies in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer led by Rudolph with his nasal nightlight. At least Santa has fairly nonpolluting transportation”. |
WILLIAM H. GODDARD, Just Say the Words
| “Santa Claus had the right idea. Visit people only once a year”. |
VICTOR BORGE, attributed, Quick Quotations
| Ho, ho, ho Santa’s comin’ back, around So get ready Christmastime is my favorite part of the year ‘Cause ah, there’s a lot of love in the air And holiday cheer |
TODDIEFUNK, “Santa’s comin’ baka round”
| “We half-eat cookies and drink the milk, we leave notes, all so kids will believe in something that isn’t true. Kids try their best to scientifically determine whether Santa’s real and our whole culture feeds them false evidence. We dupe them”. |
THOMM QUACKENBUSH, Of Christmas Present
| “Though I adore the idea of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, and such luminary characters–especially their altruism and devotion–I still don’t believe in them. For I know the truth. Only one such miracle worker exists who performs magic in my life, seeing to my wants and needs without fail. That queen is my mother. With unwavering faith, I believe in her”. |
RICHELLE E. GOODRICH, Smile Anyway
| “Santa Claus is more than a mythical figure, living at the North Pole with reindeer and happy industrious elves. The commercialization of Christmas, exacerbated by things like the obnoxious Elf on the Shelf and hissy fits over the colors and patterns of Starbucks cups, are symptoms of a culture missing the meaning and purpose of the season. The real Santa is completely in line with celebrating an authentic Christian Christmas. Modern pop culture has turned Santa into a figure almost completely removed from his origins, and it’s time to go back to the beginning and remember the real Saint Nick”. |
HOLLY SCHEER, “Why Santa Claus Without Jesus Is Cultural Appropriation At Its Stupidest,” The Federalist, December 6, 2016.
Take Away
There seems to no retardation in the people’s ever growing fad for Christmas shopping . This uptrend is going to increase with every coming year .
This uptrend is common almost in all the countries of the world whether it is US , UK , Europe or Asia .
With the Christmas sales rising to over a trillion dollars , there seems to no slow down in Christmas shoppers’ spending in the centuries to come .
| SANTA CLAUS | Saint Nicholas | Is Santa Clause Real? |
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