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The story behind jolly, old St. Nick
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Story
Jolly. Red. Fat. Gift-giving and reindeer-sleighing. The
character that we know today as Santa Claus has roots dating as far
back as 280 A.D. It has been widely held that our myth of Santa
Claus comes from the historical account of the early Christian
bishop St. Nicholas.
According to various accounts, St. Nicholas was born around 280
in Patara, a city in Asia Minor. Both his parents were devout
Christians; his father, a wealthy bishop. After the death of
parents, Nicholas inherited the family fortune, which he believed
was a momentous obligation given to him by God.
Nicholas decided the best way to fulfill said obligation would
be to secretly give away the money away to those in need. Often,
dressed in a disguise, he would distribute gifts among the poor,
mostly to children.
Tales of the young bishop’s generosity spread throughout
his lifetime. Nicholas became so popular that whenever unexpected
gifts were received, he was given credit as the giver.
Upon his death around 340 A.D., stories about him spread
throughout the world and his popularity continued to increase. By
the year 1085, Dec. 6 had become known as St. Nicholas Day. Stories
and celebrations commemorating the saint became popular in many
countries, including Russia, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, England
and Belgium.
In the United States, myths about St. Nicholas can be traced
back to the Dutch when they settled New Amsterdam in 1630. The
Dutch eventually merged their celebration of St. Nicholas Day with
the English tradition of Christmas held Dec. 25.
In 1809, Washington Irving penned the first physical description
of Nicholas related to our modern view. Irving described him as
short, portly and jolly in demeanor, giving him flying reindeer and
a sleigh as mode of transportation.
Dr. Clement Clark Moore, a professor of divinity at a New York
theological seminary, is believed to have most influenced our
present day idea of Santa Claus. In 1823, a poem written by Moore
entitled, “A Visit From St. Nicholas” was published in
New York’s Troy Sentinel. The idea of Santa Claus was further
refined by the drawings of cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose renderings
of the jolly saint were published in Harper’s Weekly
Illustration in 1863.
Brandon Beckham
News Reporter
