The image of Santa Claus is so universally recognised during the Christmas season across numerous countries that few children, caught up in the excitement of the gifts he brings, pause to ponder the origins of his name.
Santa has a number of rivals (subordinate Clauses?) Whether he’s called Père Noël in France or Julemanden in Denmark, he bears a striking resemblance to the character popularized by Thomas Nast’s illustrations. Families in many countries with competing figures now often celebrate both Christmas and their traditional gift-giving dates.
In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas, an ecclesiastical figure, is still commemorated on December 5th, the evening before his name day, with many parents gifting their children exclusively on this day. In Belgium, the exchange of presents takes place on December 6th.
In Spain, most children write letters to their favourite of the Three Kings—Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar—who visited the infant Jesus, and their wishes are granted on January 6th.
Catalonia features the beloved “Caga Tio” (or “pooing log”), a hollow log adorned with a face and draped with a blanket. Children hit the Caga Tio with sticks, prompting it to “produce” gifts from its rear. Other figures also remain integral to local folklore.
The enigma starts to clarify when we consider his other title: St. Nick. St. Nicholas, a Greek bishop from the fourth century, is cherished in many Orthodox Christian nations. In Western Europe, he became known as the patron saint of children. Among his legendary acts are providing dowries for three young women who might have otherwise faced a life of prostitution and reportedly bringing three murdered children back to life after they had been dismembered and preserved in brine. His feast day, December 6th, was traditionally a joyful occasion marked by gift-giving to children.
The protestant Reformation shifted focus away from the veneration of saints, urging Protestant followers to concentrate on Jesus rather than a saint. Consequently, when the English Church ceased to recognize St. Nicholas’s day, Christmas emerged as a merger of St. Nicholas with the Scandinavian Father Christmas, a hangover from Viking Odin (and some would contend in Ireland, the Dagda), who was originally a distinct figure often portrayed in green attire rather than red. In Irish he is still known as Daidí na Nollag.
In America, among the English colonies, many Dutch Protestants arrived, whose resistance to honoring saints had somewhat diminished. As a result, some began to celebrate the gift-giving Sint Nicolaas, who evolved into a kind of folk hero, with a name that was abbreviated to Sinterklaas. It’s easy to see how English speakers around them interpreted this as “Santa Claus,” a name first noted as an alternative to “St. Nicholas” in a newspaper article from 1773. According to Charles Jones, a 20th-century American historian, American patriots in New York, after the Revolution, adopted the celebration of St. Nicholas, linking back to New York’s Dutch colonial history; a saint connected to the Dutch served as a suitable anti-British emblem.
Washington Irving played a significant role in popularizing Santa Claus through his satirical work, “Knickerbocker’s History of New York,” published in 1809. From there, Santa’s popularity exploded. In 1821 a Lapp reindeer replaced the horse that used to draw St Nicholas’ wagon through the air. His characteristics—including the rotund figure and the reindeer—were further developed in Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, “The Night Before Christmas,”.
The following year Clement Moore elevated the team to eight reindeer and named them, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.
In 1863 Thomas Nast drew the pictures of a fat bearded Santa that have become universally accepted for Harper’s Weekly, helping to establish much of his contemporary appearance. Today, Nast’s version of Santa Claus stands as a quintessential American symbol of Christmas The red coat and fur-lined suit came courtesy of a Coca Cola advertising campaign in 1931.
In 1939 a Chicago advertising copy-writer penned the story of the new, socially inadequate, reindeer whose facial deformities would actually help Santa to deliver his presents. Company bosses were unhappy with his name, Reginald, so May’s four-year-old daughter thought up a better one: Rudolph.
The warning that Santa would bring presents goes back to Black Peter and to the German speaking tradition of Krampus, complete with horns, but was immortalised in a 1934 song that laid down the code of pre-Christmas conduct for those children who wished to receive: you better watch out.
Santa Claus has become another immensely successful American export. In Europe, he has combined with Father Christmas, adopting Santa’s imagery and, much to the dismay of traditionalists, his name as well.
