The Origin of Santa Claus

Christmas is a celebration of Jesus Christ’s birthday. If that's the case, how does Santa fit into  the narrative? Santa Claus is known for being a symbol of Christmas: a cheerful old man with red clothes that brings gifts to children who’ve behaved well  throughout the year. However,  he has not always been portrayed as such.

The name “Santa” comes from  Saint Nicholas, a Greek bishop born 280 AD in the region that is now Turkey. Nicholas came from a wealthy family and received a large inheritance from his parents after they died. Being a kind soul, Nicholas traveled around the countryside helping the unprivileged and donating all his money to those in need. During his life, it was reported that he performed various miracles, such as resurrecting infants and providing gold to girls who were being sold as slaves by their father. Due to his good deeds, the Catholic Church turned him into a saint, patron of children and sailors, which became popular in the Renaissance era. 

As a result of his increasing popularity and gold-giving practices, a tradition was created: leaving gifts to kids on the eve of the 6th of December, St.Nicholas death anniversary. In the Netherlands, specifically, unique markets surged to sell toys for the tradition, going so far as to hiring a St.Nicholas, or a “Sinterklaas” impersonator dressed in red bishop costumes.  Stories claimed  that, in his mission to deliver gifts, “Sinterklass” passed through locked doors or went down chimneys to leave his presents in the children’s stockings (sounding familiar yet?).

It is believed that the tradition was spread by Dutch sailors who migrated to America, which had a colony in New Amsterdam  (Currently New York), the most populated city in the United States.. In 1809, Washington Irving, an extremely famous American author, declared that Old Dutch families kept telling stories of “Sinterklaas” on St.Nicholas death anniversary, proclaiming that the Saint flew over the city with a wagon and climbed chimneys to deliver his gifts. Irvin’s poem, which highlighted “Sancte Claus”, was published in a New York newspaper. 

The rest is history: after Irvin’s publication, multiple different books and artworks portraying Santa Claus appeared, each adding traits that can be  seen in modern-day Santa. So, if you see Santa around this holiday season and wonder why he is part of the Christmas tradition, know that he was a caring Turkish saint who inspired others to give gifts in December.