Ah, yes - another double-duty piece written for the magazine and eminently bloggable. And what would I do without Google Images? I do love this one below - Santa and all the Arctic animals - even my favorite, the sea otter.
With the worldwide spread of languages and customs through
exploration, trade, and missionary work, enhanced by today’s fast
communications, a good part of the world acknowledges Christmas. Those in and
from the European countries and the Americas observe it as a religious holiday.
Elsewhere, it is often celebrated as a day of good will and gift giving. One of
the modern, ubiquitous symbols of Christmas is Santa Claus, the evolved St. Nicholas.
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and the rest of the squad pull
Santa Claus’ sleigh as he makes his rounds on Christmas Eve here in America.
Contrary to NORAD and their popular Santa Tracker, noradsanta.org, available in
many languages, or Google’s santatracker.google.com, in circling the world with
presents for good boys and girls, Santa doesn’t always travel by sleigh. We
have it on good authority that in Australia, because he couldn’t fit in a
kangaroo’s pouch, Santa rides a camel. In Russia, he handles the reins of a
troika, in Holland he rides a white horse, in Norway he might get around on
snow shoes, and here in Sun City Carolina Lakes he’s been seen on a Segway.
Santa doesn’t always wear a plush, red suit and tasseled hat
with white fur trim. In Mexico he might wear a big, red sombrero, in England he
is often seen in green. Over his indoor clothes, in some countries he wears a
long, hooded, usually-red robe. The gift-bringer in some countries isn’t always
a jolly, saintly man. In Italy, the goodies are brought by La Bafana, the
holiday witch dressed in black, brown, or grey peasant garb. Wee, gnome-like and
likewise-dressed Julenissen or Jultomten do the honors in many Scandinavian
homes. Santa is little known in Spain on Christmas – the Three Wise Men deliver
gifts there on the day of the Epiphany.
In some European countries, especially the Low Countries of
Holland and Belgium, and in Austria and Germany, he is dressed as the Fourth
Century Greek Bishop he was. St. Nicholas, St Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of
pawnbrokers, prostitutes, and sailors, among others (they all knew a good man
when they saw one) was born during the Byzantine era in what is now Turkey.
From his habit of giving secret gifts, it became the custom during the Middle
Ages to give gifts to children on his feast day, December 6. In some northern
European countries, St. Nicholas still comes, often in a big, festive parade,
on his feast day. Gradually, though the centuries, the gift-giving moved its
way on up to Christmas and the Epiphany.
Santa Claus in his various guises leaves gifts and goodies
in wooden shoes, boots, in fancy stockings, or just plain, old socks. Any
footwear will do. It may have started when children began to leave treats for
Santa and the reindeer – things like a glass of eggnog and a few carrots. Today’s
range of stocking-stuffers runs the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous,
from the inexpensive to Neiman-Marcus excess.
What will be in your stocking this year – candy or coal?
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| As the song says: "Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz." a nice, shiny, red AMG in my stocking! |
St. Nicholas has become Saint Nick, Sinter Claus, Sinterklaas, Santa Claus, or just Santa. England calls him Father Christmas, France has Père Noël, and in Russia he’s Ded Moros or Grandfather Frost. His names are legion, and they all signify the spirit of love and giving. To answer most of your questions about Christmas worldwide, spend some time at whychristmas.com
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