Wednesday, December 25, 2002
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Wednesday, December 25, 2002 |
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Santa Claus: the man and the myth By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Santa Claus is one of the central symbols of the Christmas holiday, but what do we know about him and his origins? We know that he has a belly that shakes like a bowlful of jelly, most likely because he enjoys cookies at nearly every stop he makes. He travels by a flying reindeer-drawn sleigh, delivers toys around the world and lives in the North Pole, but where did these stories originate? Who was Santa Claus before he became the legend that he is today? According to many sources, the story begins toward the end of the third century in Myra, what is now known as Turkey. The bishop of Myra was a man who went by the name of St. Nicholas, a wealthy and generous man who gave gifts to children and the poor each year. One famous story claims that three daughters wished to get married but their widowed father did not have enough money for dowries. After hanging their stockings to dry by the fireplace one night, St. Nicholas arrived and dropped enough gold in each of the stockings so that the girls could marry. St. Nicholas died in 340 A.D. but his remains were taken to Italy in the 11th century by Italian soldiers who created a church in his honor. Pilgrims came from all over the world to worship at the church and stories of Saint Nicholas spread. In the 12th century Germany, France and Holland started to celebrate St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6 of each year. It was a religious holiday in which the children and the poor would receive gifts. When Dutch settlers arrived in America, they brought with them tales of Sinterklaas, a man dressed in a red bishop uniform that rode a white horse. Over the years, the story evolved, borrowing parts of the St. Nicholas legend as well as some new creations. In the poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas," more affectionately known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," there is a description that blends the two characters. Until recently it was believed that this ballad was written in 1822 for Clement Clarke Moore's two daughters, and later anonymously published in the Troy Sentinel in New York on Dec. 23, 1823. But, according to University of Toronto English Library, in 2000, Don Foster, in his book "Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous," was able to demonstrate that Moore could not have been the author. Foster concluded that it was probably written by Major Henry Livingston Jr. Livingston was a farmer, purveyor and justice of the peace and was one of the first New Yorkers to enlist in the Revolutionary Army. An 1860 illustration makes the man appear more plump and kindly and the story started to spread around the world again. Each nation has its own name for the man and, though some parts of the story are different, most of it is the same. Santa Claus rewards good children with gifts and punishes bad children with coal or a few whacks with a switch. Some countries hang stockings out on Christmas Eve while others leave out shoes to collect gifts. Which, in the case of this author, would not be a good idea. Whether it is Pere Noel in France, England's Father Christmas, Italy's La Befama or the U.S.'s plump and jolly old St. Nick, the story of a magical, gift-giving, benevolent man that can see all is a comforting one for children of all ages. |
