Santa Claus is so famous that there is not a single child in America who isn’t at least familiar with the name. Everyone knows about the jolly old man in the red suit with a bag full of toys for all of the good kids. However, not everyone knows where Santa came from. Despite that, most people know that Santa Claus is really St. Nicholas.
As stated above, Santa Claus was originated from a wealthy monk named St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas lived around the late third century in present day Turkey. He was known as a kind, generous man who spent his wealth giving gifts to the poor and giving hope to children who had none. As the subject of many legends, many still remembered even after the Protestant Revolution, especially the Dutch.
Santa came with the Dutch to the Americas in the late 1700’s. Americans discovered him when they saw Dutch families gathering to celebrate his feast day in New York. The name “Santa Claus” came from the name the Dutch used to refer to St. Nicholas, Sintr Klaas, which is really the shortened version of Sint Nikolass.
The image of Santa that most people think of today was influenced by a Christmas poem written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822 called “An Account of a Visit From St. Nicholas”. In 1881 Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist, drew the Santa image that most people are familiar with.
Santa Claus has a long history. Even though the image of Santa Claus has changed a lot over the years, the legend of his great kindness hasn’t. Even if the image of Santa changes again, what’s important will still remain the same.
Article By: Rebecca Molina
