2006-12-16 03:52:37 · 3 answers · asked by Gettysburg Ghost 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy, Jolly Old Elf, Santa Klaus or simply Santa, is a gift-giving figure in various cultures who distributes presents to children and adults, traditionally during the night of December 24, Christmas Eve, while everyone is sleeping. The popular American form Santa Claus originated as a mispronunciation of Dutch Sinterklaas, which is a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas).
How he became the way he is now?
On Christmas Eve of 1822, another New Yorker, Clement Clarke Moore, wrote down and read to his children a series of verses; his poem was published a year later as "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" (more commonly known today by its opening line, "'Twas the night before Christmas . . ."). Moore gave St. Nick eight reindeer (and named them all), and he devised the now-familiar entrance by chimney. Moore's Nicholas was still a small figure, however — the poem describes a "miniature sleigh" with a "little old driver."
Meanwhile, in parts of Europe such as Germany, Nicholas the gift-giver had been superseded by a representation of the infant Jesus (the Christ child, or "Christkindlein"). The Christkindlein accompanied Nicholas-like figures with other names (such as "Père Noël" in France), or he travelled with a dwarf-like helper (known in some places as "Pelznickel," or Nicholas with furs). Belsnickle (as Pelznickel was known in the German-American dialect of Pennsylvania) was represented by adults who dressed in furry disguises (including false whiskers), visited while children were still awake, and put on a scary performance. Gifts found by children the next morning were credited to Christkindlein, who had come while everyone was asleep. Over time, the non-visible Christkindlein (whose name mutated into "Kriss Kringle") was overshadowed by the visible Belsnickle, and both of them became confused with St. Nicholas and the emerging figure of Santa Claus.
The modern Santa Claus derived from these two images: St. Nicholas the elf-like gift bringer described by Moore, and a friendlier "Kriss Kringle" amalgam of the Christkindlein and Pelznickel figures. The man-sized version of Santa became the dominant image around 1841, when a Philadelphia merchant named J.W. Parkinson hired a man to dress in "Criscringle" clothing and climb the chimney outside his shop.
In 1863, a caricaturist for Harper's Weekly named Thomas Nast began developing his own image of Santa. Nast gave his figure a "flowing set of whiskers" and dressed him "all in fur, from his head to his foot." Nast's 1866 montage entitled "Santa Claus and His Works" established Santa as a maker of toys; an 1869 book of the same name collected new Nast drawings with a poem by George P. Webster that identified the North Pole as Santa's home. Although Nast never settled on one size for his Santa figures (they ranged from elf-like to man-sized), his 1881 "Merry Old Santa Claus" drawing is quite close to the modern-day image.
The Santa Claus figure, although not yet standardized, was ubiquitous by the late 19th century. Santa was portrayed as both large and small; he was usually round but sometimes of normal or slight build; and he dressed in furs (like Belsnickle) or cloth suits of red, blue, green, or purple. A Boston printer named Louis Prang introduced the English custom of Christmas cards to America, and in 1885 he issued a card featuring a red-suited Santa. The chubby Santa with a red suit (like an "overweight superhero") began to replace the fur-dressed Belsnickle image and the multicolored Santas.
2006-12-16 08:14:01 · answer #1 · answered by Martha P 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Where Did Santa Claus Begin
2016-12-30 09:03:42 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From Saint Nicholas, the name Santa Claus comes from Sinterklass, which means Saint Nicholas, in the Netherlands and in Flanders :)
2006-12-16 06:23:41 · answer #3 · answered by Sakura ♥ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
santa, was originally saint nicholas, and what he did was one day he saw the man, who had three daughters, and he didnt have enough money for a dowry(when the brides parents have to pay the grooms parents for them to get married) so saint nick went to the house at night, and threw a bag of gold in the window for each of the three daughters. thats the whole, santa brings gifts thing. and the name santa clause was becus in some language (dont remember which one) his name is santa nicholase, and over time, they kinda slurred it into santa clause.
2006-12-16 04:00:56 · answer #4 · answered by M T 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I'm harboring a secret bitterness about the whole no-god(s) thing, which is why I no longer believe in Santa.
2016-03-29 00:46:30 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Saint Nicholas, a Christian (Catholic I believe) saint, used to give money/ gifts to people in need. That's why Santa is sometimes reffered to as St. Nick.
2006-12-16 03:55:27 · answer #6 · answered by cellar_door 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
St Nick was real but this red one is a fat fake
2006-12-16 05:23:56 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Germany.
St. Nikolas live in Turkey and his house still exists.
2006-12-17 16:30:53 · answer #8 · answered by m. b 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋