Santa Claus, the jolly good fellow dressed in red coat trimmed with white fur, a long beard and round-bellied and bespectacled is one of the most loved person at the time of Christmas. Well the popularity of Santa Claus has grown so much that many people now want to know about the history of Santa Claus. Well there are many versions of the history of Santa Claus according to different customs.
The first of this version is associated with St. Nicholas of Myra, who was a bishop by profession and was known for his charity, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. Born at Patara, a province of Lycia, he was religious from an early age and devoted his entire life to Christianity. In the modern times this figure of St.Nicholas was changed gradually to that of Santa Claus in order to add a touch of fun to it.
Germans too have their version of Santa Claus. The germanic folklore contained stories about God Odin, who was known to visit every house accompanied by his fellow gods and the fallen warriors. Children used to keep carrots, straws and sugar near the chimny for god Odin’s horse Sleipnir.These children were then rewarded by God Odin by replacing the food kept by children for his horse with many kinds of Christmas presents . God Odin’s appearance was very much similar to that of St. Nicholas with just one difference of God Odin not having one eye. Children even now in Germany place their straw filled shoes at the chimney every night and God Odin rewards them with many kinds of gifts.
There is also a famous folktale associated with God Odin in Germany, which talks about a demon who used to climb down the chimneys and slaughter the children. The holy God sought him out and tricked him with holy shackles. The demon was trapped and was forced to obey God’s orders. God Odin then asked him to make amendments by delivering gifts to the children every year.
The earlier version of the present-giver from the church history combined with the figure of Father Christmas for the creation of the character of Santa Claus. The history of Santa Claus dates back to the 17 th century in Britain and the pictures from that period portrayed him as a bearded man who was dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe.
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