Every year, legend has it that, on the day December 25thchildren who place stockings in specific places in their homes are rewarded with Christmas gifts and a long-awaited visit from the Santa Clausin his classic flying sled.
To celebrate the tradition, families from different regions of the world come together to chat and enjoy gastronomic options that only the Christmas spirit can provide.
What most people don’t know is that there are countless stories about how the myth of “good old man“, as the characteristic figure of the elderly man with red clothes and white hair and beard is also called.
Several names, just one “old man”
Despite having different origins, Papai Noel/Father Christmas, Santa Claus e Saint Nicholas These are names used for the same character, varying according to the historical, social and even religious context of each region.
CNN Manoel Monteiro.
“A imagem do Papai Noel que conhecemos hoje é resultado de um processo histórico complexo, que combina elementos de diferentes tradições, incluindo as crenças nórdicas e a figura de São Nicolau. This cultural fusion explains the deep roots and richness of meanings associated with Santa Claus”, explains Monteiro.
Who was Saint Nicholas?
Saint Nicholas was a 4th century Greek bishop. As lendas em torno dele teriam se espalhado durante o período do Império Romano (que durou de 27 aC a 476 dC), alcançando partes distintas em todo seu território.
The influence of Nicholas of Bari was noted not only in the Mediterranean region, but also in northern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. O bispo de Mira, na Turquia, conhecido como São Nicolau, se tornou um santo mundial por conta de seu legado focado na generosidade.
Supported by materials published by the Vatican Library on its website, the historian explains the origin of the name: “Nicholas comes from nikos, which means “victory”, and from laos “people”, that is, Nicholas is “victory of the people”, or better, “victory over the vices that are popular and vile”, or simply “victory”, because he showed the people, with his life and his teachings, how to overcome vices and sins”.
However, history shows other possible origins of the name Nicolau, which can come from níkos “victory”, and from laus “praise”, thus equivalent to “victorious praise”, or even from nítor “whiteness”, and laos “people”, means “whiteness of the people”.
Vatican Library archives narrate numerous miracles attributed to Saint Nicholas, including during his lifetime. One of these miracles may have inspired the narrative of Santa Claus’s arrival through the chimney.
Jacopo de Varazze, então arcebispo de Gênova, na Itália, narra: “Um de seus vizinhos, nobre porém indigente, viu-se forçado a prostituir suas três filhas virgens para poder ter com o que sobreviver. As soon as the saint discovered this crime, he was horrified and, one night, in hiding, he threw a bag full of gold coins out of his neighbor’s window. When he got up in the morning, the man found the gold, thanked God and married his eldest daughter. Some time later, Nicolau repeated the same action. The neighbor, upon finding gold again, was amazed and decided to keep an eye out to find out who was helping him. A few days later, Nicolau threw a bag containing double the previous amounts at his neighbor’s house. The noise woke up the neighbor, who got up and went after Nicolau, shouting: ‘Stop, don’t run away’. Running as fast as he could, he recognized Nicholas and immediately threw himself at his feet, wanting to kiss them. Nicolau impediu-o e exigiu que não revelasse sua ação enquanto vivesse”.
Therefore, the tradition of leaving boots for Saint Nicholas to fill with gifts comes from the story of the three young women who were helped by him.
What about Santa Claus or Father Christmas?
English version of Santa Claus, the Father Christmas has older roots, linked to pagan celebrations of often being represented as a more rustic figure, close to nature and associated with harvests and fertility.
The character, who can wear green or red clothes
Santa Claus
It is the German version of Santa Claus, having strong roots in Norse legends, especially in the figure of Odin, the supreme God of Norse mythology, known for his long journeys and wisdom, in addition to his ancient appearance and long white beard.
Sinterklaas
Writer Washington Irving, in his book “The History of New York”, published in 1809, popularized the figure of Sinterklaas, the Dutch equivalent of Saint Nicholas, contributing to the construction of the image of Santa Claus as a cheerful and corpulent man.
The celebration of Sinterklaas after Holanda It is very popular and takes place on December 5th. Sinterklaas is a figure similar to Santa Claus, but with some differences, such as the date of the celebration and the way of delivering gifts.
Originally green and then red
Numerous old illustrations show the figure of Santa Claus in green robes. According to the historian, in many cultures around the world, green is seen as the color of life and fertility, symbolizing the rebirth of nature after winter.
Images of the “good old man” in red clothes began to become popular around 1860, at the hands of the North American cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who created illustrations of Santa Claus for Harper’s Weekly magazine, defining the character’s physical appearance, such as white beard and red suit.
Coca-cola was one of the people most responsible for popularizing red as the color of Santa Claus, after the adoption of reddish robes from 1930 onwards, in several marketing campaigns, helping to establish the image of a red Santa Claus in the popular imagination.
Religious context
In addition to the brand, other factors contributed to the change in the colors that mark Christmas, such as association of red with the blood of Christ and the idea of passion and lovefeelings that connect with the Christmas spirit.
“Christmas for Christians is deeply linked to the birth of Jesus Christ. It is common in many parts of the world to celebrate this day with musical performances, preaching and specific sermons. The Catholic Church has specific clothing for that day and many Christian hymns and popular songs are played during this period”, he explains.
