The Tale of Santa Claus
Everybody young and old knows the fat, jolly fellow with a white beard and a red suit, who says, "Ho, ho, ho Merry Christmas!"
Santa Claus as such is a variation of a Dutch folk tale which is based on the historical figure Saint Nicholas, a bishop from Myra in Asia Minor (the greater part of modern-day Turkey). Saint Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick and the suffering. The bishop's charity became legend when a man lost his fortune and was incapable of supporting his three daughters who would not be able to find husbands if they had no dowries. Thus the man decided to give them over to a life of prostitution when St. Nicholas provided them with gold, enabling them to retain their virginal virtues and marry.
The figure of Sinterklaas is the subject of a major celebration in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. His date of birth is believed to be December 6 and is celebrated the evening before on December 5, which in turn inspired both the myth and the name of Santa Claus. In these countries Saint Nicholas is celebrated as a distinct character with a religious touch separate from Christmas.
Santa Claus is an example of folklore mythology but is presented to children as fact and now forms an important part of the Christmas tradition throughout the Western World, Japan and other parts of East Asia. He is usually depicted wearing a red suit with white fur trim and having a white beard and mustache and it is said that he makes it around the world in one night by magic. In many Eastern Orthodox traditions, Santa visits children on New Year's Day and is identified with Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (contemporary Turkey), whose memory is celebrated on that day. Greek traditions have him visit children and give presents every January 1. The festival is also marked by the baking of Saint Basil's bread (a sweetbread with a coin baked inside). Russians have the character of Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) who delivers presents to children. He also wears a red coat, fur boots and has a long white beard.
Therefore Santa is a kindly, round-bellied, merry little man who rides his sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and enters houses with presents going down chimneys and exiting through fireplaces. The rest of the year he and his wife, Mrs. Claus live in the North Pole, in northern Canada, where he has a toy factory or Santa's workshop and his elves make toys all year round to be ready for Christmas Eve. The variations on where he lives are Korvatunturi in Finnish Lapland, Drobak in Norway, Dalecarlia in Sweden or Greenland depending on the tradition and the country. Sometimes Santa's home is in Caesarea when he's identified as Saint Basil and L. Frank Baum (the author of "The Wizard of Oz") placed Santa's home in The Laughing Valley of Hohaho. In original Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas lives in Spain and is accompanied by a great number of black servants, called Zwarten Pieten, which means Black Petes.
Santa Claus originally had eight reindeer Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen which are depicted in the popular poem by Clement C. Moore "The Night Before Christmas". The reindeer known as Donner and Blitzen were originally Dunder and Blixem (the Dutch words "Donder" and "Bliksem" stand for thunder and lightning. Later Donder was reprinted as Donder which developed into Donner (German for thunder) and Blixem became Blitzen (blitz in German - lightning). Then came the popular song "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and Rudolph with his red nose became the head reindeer showing the way for Santa on foggy Christmas Eves so all together there were nine reindeer. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was born for the American department store chain Montgomery Ward in 1939.
All the reindeer have been featured in films however in the film "The Polar Express" only eight reindeer pull Santa's sleigh. In the movie "The Santa Claus 2" there is a reindeer in training called Chet and country singer Joe Diffie sang of "Leroy the Redneck Reindeer" in his 1995 song of the same title.
There is a Santa Tracking website NORAD and Santa is "tracked" every Christmas Eve with the same equipment that tracks the presence of aircraft entering North American airspace. The Canadian Armed Forces regularly officially announce on Christmas Eve that Santa is "escorted into Canadian airspace by jet fighters" in keeping with the spirit of the night.
Children write letter to Santa telling him of the gifts they would like to receive. Since the letters are usually addressed simply to Santa Claus The North Pole many of these letter get sent to the small town of North Pole, Alaska near Fairbanks. In 2005, 120,000 letters from26 countries arrived, not counting the thousands without return addresses. Those with return addresses usually get a reply and a North Pole postmark in a holiday effort that has delighted children all over the world for decades. Letters trickle in year round in the small community of 1,600 where light poles are curved and striped like candy canes and streets have names such as Santa Claus Lane and Kris Kringle Drive. The volunteers who reply to these letters are called "Santa Elves". Each one gets a North Pole postal cancellation mark and a half-moon drawing of Santa's face. The Fairbanks post office also stamps the postmark on thousands of Christmas cards and packages diverted through Alaska from outside the state each year.
Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks also runs a Santa letter project. Santa's Mailbag was started in 1954 by base weather forecasters. More than 4,000 letters were received in 2005. Many of the letters came from children of military families stationed in the lower 48 states and abroad, but civilian children are also welcomed to write. The post office in Santa Claus, Indiana (home of Holiday World, formerly Santa Claus Land) will also postmark a letter with their Christmas themed cancellation stamp around this time of year and people have written websites on which children can send Santa Claus e-mail.
Whatever your traditions may be remember that the most important thing is that Christmas starts with friends and families and first and foremost Christmas comes from the heart and I will always believe in Santa Claus because he is part of the magic of the holiday season.
"Twas The Night Before Christmas"
Written in 1822 by Clement C. Moore
'Twas The Night Before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
Post Comment | View Comments