HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-12-23, Page 21St. Nicholas became Santa
f
THE CITIZEN, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1986. PAGE 21.
Christmas and Santa Claus are
synonymous in many countries,
but this was not always so. The jolly
old gent is actually the result of an
evolving process through the
centuries, although he does have
his origins as a real person. To be
more accurate, he is probably a
combination of St. Nicholas, and an
ancient yule god.
St. Nicholas was a fourth-cen
tury bishop of Myra in Asia Minor,
who had won a reputation for
generosity. Accordingtothe le
gend, the good bishop had saved
th re eyoung maidens from spin
sterhood or worse, by providing
their impoverished father with
dowries for each of the daughters.
He supposedly left three bags of
gold on the man’s window ledge.
This is why pawnbrokers, who
consider St. Nicholas their patron
saint, traditionally have three
golden balls outside their shops.
Another legend about St. Nicho-
lastellsoftheholy man’s discovery
of three murdered youngsters; the
saint brought them back to life,
hence his association with child
ren.
In Holland, St. Nicholas became
Santa Klaas, eagerly awaited by
youngsters, who would fill their
wooden shoes with hay, water and
carrots for the saint’s horse, and
place them before the fireplace.
In the morning, these clogs
would be filled with sweets and
small presents if the youngsters
Helping Santa, oneof the elves was quick to act when the jolly old gent
started to come apart at the seams at the Blyth Public School Christmas
Concert last week.
Max and Barbara
Walls
M.L. Watts
Funeral Homes
Brussels and Gorrie
had been good, or birch rods if they
had been naughty.
Santa Claus’ connection with the
fireplace or chimney can be traced
to pre-Christian times when hearth
gods and gods of the yule log were
honored. In ancient times, there
was always a yule figure associated
with mid-winter festivals; he was
seen sometimes as an old man
whose head was wreathed with
mistletoe or holly. The northern
tribes worshipped the god Woden,
who rode across frozen wastes to
bring presents to his devotees in
the middle of winter.
In some cultures, this pagan
yule-figure evolved in to Fat her
Christmas as Chrsitianity took
root. In Sweden, Father Christmas
still retains a gnomish aspect, but
the English see Father Christmas
as a tall, wine-flushed reveler.
The Dutch who came to America
brought with them their tradition
of the benevolent Santa Klaas. It
remained for an imaginative pro
fessor of Oriental and Greek
literature to bring together the
elements of the stately bishop of
the Dutch and the elfish figures of
Northern Europe.
His name was Dr. Clement
Clarke Moore, and during the
Christmas season of 1822, he wrote
a poem for his children that
brought to life his own conception
of Sante Klaas, now named Santa
Claus. He called his poem The Visit
of St. Nicholas, and in it he
Joy
May the blessing of
Bethlehem behold
your holiday season
and bring to you and
yours the precious
gifts of health
and happiness.
described Santa as “A jolly old elf”
with twinkling eyes and merry
dimples. Interestingly enough,
Moore is said to have based his
description of Santa on a Dutch-
manwholived nearby. The man
was short and stubby and smoked
a pipe. Moore was certainly
familiar with the writings of
Washtington Irving, who had
described St. Nicholas, the patron
saint of the Dutch colony, and the
saint’s annual ride over the tree
tops in a wagon filled with gifts.
Clement’s poem was published
a year later and had immediate
success with the public. It remain
ed only for the famed cartoonist
Thomas Nast to illustrate Moore’s
conception of Santa Claus to firmly
plant that image in the public’s
mind. Nast’s illustrations were
closer to the gnome-like figures of
the past than contemporary ver
sions of Santa Claus, however. As
time wenton, other artists changed
the furry suit and furry round hat to
a red suit and cap with a tassel.
Today, the image of a jolly and
chubby Santa Claus is one that is
universally accepted as a symbol of
good cheer and generosity to
children all over the world.
Phone John Nixon
887-9417
agent for
WEST WAWANOSH MUTUAL INS. CO.
Farm, Residential, Auto,
Commercial & Liability
“When you become a policy holder,
you become a share holder"
Head office - Dungannon
Season’s Greetings
to each of you
We are looking forward to
continuing toserveyou in the
New Year ahead.
from
Management
and Staff
TOPNOTCH
FEEDS LTD.
Brussels
at Brussels EMA
from Marjorie, Allan, Tricia, Megan Tee ft
and the Staff