Posts Tagged ‘Christian Bishop’
November 9th, 2009
Christmas – the Legend of Santa Claus – Who is This Unusually Dressed Fellow!
Bernadette Dimitrov asked:
One of the greatest highlights of Christmas is Santa Claus whose legend turned him into a magical kind-hearted, noble, and generous “good fairy Godfather” today!
Santa was originally a Bishop who after his death became the legendary Saint Nicholas. Here is something that you may be surprised to know. He was Greek and Greek speaking! He is believed to have been born around 280 AD in Patara near Myra. Originally Saint Nicholas was the Christian Bishop of Myra (today known as Turkey). Back in those days Myra was predominantly populated with Greeks. The Turks didn’t arrive until the 11th century AD. This Bishop was a generous and kind-hearted man, devoted particularly to children. In 340AD after his death in Myra it is said that sailors stole his remains and took them to Bari, Italy where he remains today in the beautiful Basilica of Saint Nicholas specially built to house him. Medieval people believed relics of Saints had healing powers and every church had a store of them. The sailors increased his popularity in Europe with stories of his kindness and generosity which lead to increased devotion with stories of miracles.
St Nicholas became so popular, loved and adored by the people that he was honored as the patron Saint of just about everything! He was indeed the national Saint of Greece and Russia where churches were named in the thousands after him. Known by his red cape, flowing white beard and Bishop’s miter he also become the patron Saint:
- in Greece of sailors
- in France of lawyers
- in Belgium of children and travelers
In other lands he was patron of merchants, judges, paupers and just about everything else you can think of!
An official church holiday was created in St Nicholas’ honor some time around the 12th century. This was a time when thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him. A Feast Day in his honor on the 6th of December become the official day of his celebration and is the day of the anniversary of his death. In the early days of celebrations it was considered lucky to make large purchases or to get married on his Feast Day! Traditionally the day was honored each year with celebrations and marked by gift giving and charity.
How did his name transform from Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus? Some say it started from the Dutch naming of him. After the Reformation, European followers of Saint Nicholas dwindled but the legend was kept alive in Holland. Dutch children have a magical tradition where they excitedly leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace and “Sinterklaas” would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. The Dutch colonists brought this fun tradition with them to America in the 17th century where the spelling of his name “Sint Nikolaas” was eventually and affectionately transformed to “Sinterklaas”. Hence the Anglican name “Santa Claus” emerged which is now the most popular name he is known by today! However others suggest the Anglican name comes from the Germans. As “Santa” is said to have come from the word “Saint” and “Claus” is an abbreviation for the name Nicholas in Germany.
What did he look like? Originally he appeared in Bishop’s robes holding a Bishop’s miter. When first arrived in America Santa didn’t look like the figure we know today. He was a thin, sad faced old man wearing a fur-trimmed knee-length coat. Santa’s back in the old days were usually dressed in blue, green or black with no red and white we see today in sight! It was by the mid 1850’s that the red and white fat jolly version we know today gained popularity.
The American image of Santa Claus developed from the Dutch austere Sinterklaas; a bishop in a red bishop’s costume who rode a white horse. Washington Irving in his comic “History of New York” is said to be the first to describe him as plump and jolly. The evolution of the image of Santa Claus continued in 1823 with the publication of the famous poem by Clement C Moore “A Visit From Saint Nicholas”.
In England by the mid 19th century Santa was a fat, red faced, jovial character who wore glasses and a crown of holly on his head. He appeared almost always tipsy accompanied by a steaming bowl of punch with either a glass of punch or ale in his hand. We know that around the world Santa has been depicted in many shapes and forms including the most popular being tall and thin or short and fat.
How did he become so famous? A transformation onto paper leads the way! Dr Clement C Moore (an Episcopal Minister) in 1822 described Santa Claus as a benevolent plump jolly man in a red suit. He originally wrote the famous poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” for his 3 daughters after an inspirational moonlight sleigh ride home from the market after buying a Christmas turkey. It was not published for another 20 years. Then fame didn’t take long to spread to children and adults around the world. It was much loved for its sense of fun and magic. This poem helped to popularize the idea of Santa Claus visiting on Christmas Eve.
Jaylyn
One of the greatest highlights of Christmas is Santa Claus whose legend turned him into a magical kind-hearted, noble, and generous “good fairy Godfather” today!
Santa was originally a Bishop who after his death became the legendary Saint Nicholas. Here is something that you may be surprised to know. He was Greek and Greek speaking! He is believed to have been born around 280 AD in Patara near Myra. Originally Saint Nicholas was the Christian Bishop of Myra (today known as Turkey). Back in those days Myra was predominantly populated with Greeks. The Turks didn’t arrive until the 11th century AD. This Bishop was a generous and kind-hearted man, devoted particularly to children. In 340AD after his death in Myra it is said that sailors stole his remains and took them to Bari, Italy where he remains today in the beautiful Basilica of Saint Nicholas specially built to house him. Medieval people believed relics of Saints had healing powers and every church had a store of them. The sailors increased his popularity in Europe with stories of his kindness and generosity which lead to increased devotion with stories of miracles.
St Nicholas became so popular, loved and adored by the people that he was honored as the patron Saint of just about everything! He was indeed the national Saint of Greece and Russia where churches were named in the thousands after him. Known by his red cape, flowing white beard and Bishop’s miter he also become the patron Saint:
- in Greece of sailors
- in France of lawyers
- in Belgium of children and travelers
In other lands he was patron of merchants, judges, paupers and just about everything else you can think of!
An official church holiday was created in St Nicholas’ honor some time around the 12th century. This was a time when thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him. A Feast Day in his honor on the 6th of December become the official day of his celebration and is the day of the anniversary of his death. In the early days of celebrations it was considered lucky to make large purchases or to get married on his Feast Day! Traditionally the day was honored each year with celebrations and marked by gift giving and charity.
How did his name transform from Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus? Some say it started from the Dutch naming of him. After the Reformation, European followers of Saint Nicholas dwindled but the legend was kept alive in Holland. Dutch children have a magical tradition where they excitedly leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace and “Sinterklaas” would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. The Dutch colonists brought this fun tradition with them to America in the 17th century where the spelling of his name “Sint Nikolaas” was eventually and affectionately transformed to “Sinterklaas”. Hence the Anglican name “Santa Claus” emerged which is now the most popular name he is known by today! However others suggest the Anglican name comes from the Germans. As “Santa” is said to have come from the word “Saint” and “Claus” is an abbreviation for the name Nicholas in Germany.
What did he look like? Originally he appeared in Bishop’s robes holding a Bishop’s miter. When first arrived in America Santa didn’t look like the figure we know today. He was a thin, sad faced old man wearing a fur-trimmed knee-length coat. Santa’s back in the old days were usually dressed in blue, green or black with no red and white we see today in sight! It was by the mid 1850’s that the red and white fat jolly version we know today gained popularity.
The American image of Santa Claus developed from the Dutch austere Sinterklaas; a bishop in a red bishop’s costume who rode a white horse. Washington Irving in his comic “History of New York” is said to be the first to describe him as plump and jolly. The evolution of the image of Santa Claus continued in 1823 with the publication of the famous poem by Clement C Moore “A Visit From Saint Nicholas”.
In England by the mid 19th century Santa was a fat, red faced, jovial character who wore glasses and a crown of holly on his head. He appeared almost always tipsy accompanied by a steaming bowl of punch with either a glass of punch or ale in his hand. We know that around the world Santa has been depicted in many shapes and forms including the most popular being tall and thin or short and fat.
How did he become so famous? A transformation onto paper leads the way! Dr Clement C Moore (an Episcopal Minister) in 1822 described Santa Claus as a benevolent plump jolly man in a red suit. He originally wrote the famous poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” for his 3 daughters after an inspirational moonlight sleigh ride home from the market after buying a Christmas turkey. It was not published for another 20 years. Then fame didn’t take long to spread to children and adults around the world. It was much loved for its sense of fun and magic. This poem helped to popularize the idea of Santa Claus visiting on Christmas Eve.
Jaylyn
Was Santa Claus Invented by Coca Cola? the True History
The true story of Santa Claus remains one of the biggest mysteries of all time. Stories and legends of this jolly, red-clad symbol of kindness and Christmas cheer have been passed around for centuries in countries all over the world. Some believe Santa Clause has his roots in Christianity while some believe that he was really based on the mythological god, Odin. Others think that he was invented by the Coca Cola companies in the early 1900s to sell more pop.
Below are a few different explanations for the history of Santa Clause.
Early Christianity One story of Santa Claus, or St. Nicholas as he is often referred to, says that he was a Christian bishop named Saint Nicholas of Maya. As this account has it, Saint Nicholas was a bishop who gave wedding dowries to poor women, allowing them to catch husbands and avoid lives of prostitution. This Saint Nicholas can still be seen on German holy cards.
Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands In Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, Santa Claus is thought to be based on the Norse god Odin (or Woden), god of wisdom, war and death. Legend was that Odin would throw a party around Christmastime for other gods and dead warriors, and that he would ride to the party on his horse, Slepnir. Children in these countries leave straw, carrots or sugar in their shoes for Odins flying horse, which are replaced with treats or gifts during the night.
Austria and Italy Early folk tales in southern Austria and northwest Italy tell of a holy man who reforms a hideous child-eating monster. As the story goes, there was a large demon, covered in furs (known as Belsnickle, or Furry Nicholas ) that snuck into homes at night to kill village children violently and stuff them up the chimney, or drag them away to be eaten later. A saint traps the demon with magic shackles, forcing him to bring the children toys and candy instead, to make up for how many of them he ate. In some stories, the demon persuades imps and other creatures to help him, similar to Santas elves, and in others, he chooses to go back to Hell instead.
Britain The Brits rendition of Santa Claus, dating back to the 17th Century, is most similar to ours. Santa, or Father Christmas, was a bearded man in a green, fur-lined robe, that starred in the Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol, as the Ghost of Christmas Present no pun intended.
Early America America, called the melting pot of modern civilization, is also the melting pot of Santa Claus mythology. British, Dutch and early American influences came together to give us the Santa Claus that most of us are familiar with today: the jolly old man, distributing gifts yearly with the help of his entourage of elves and reindeer. The Coca Cola/Santa Claus myth stems from when companies in the early 1900s, like White Rock Beverages and Coca Cola began using Santas image to promote their productsand of course, his distinctive red and white colors didnt help dispel the rumor.
The only thing were really sure of is that Santa Claus was not invented by Coca Cola, as the urban legend states. But no matter where the real Santa hails from, what he stands for remains the same throughout every country: kindness, goodness and the generous, giving spirit associated with Christmas.
Source: www.wikipedia.com
Joselyn