St Nicholas Day: How Christian saint inspired Santa Claus legend | eKathimerini.com

St Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa Claus, was a generous Christian bishop from Turkey whose legend spread across Europe.

The traditional St Nicholas procession in the village of Lidecko, Czech Republic, is a beloved event that takes place every year on December 4th. St Nicholas, a fourth-century Catholic bishop from the Mediterranean port city of Myra, is the inspiration behind the secular Santa Claus figure that is known and celebrated worldwide.

While there is not a lot of hard historical evidence about St Nicholas, the legends surrounding him go beyond delivering candy and toys to children. According to the Rev Nicholas Ayo, author of "Saint Nicholas in America: Christmas Holy Day and Holiday," much of the rest of St Nicholas' story is based on legend.

Despite the lack of historical evidence, St Nicholas' acts of generosity have inspired devotion and spread across Europe during the Middle Ages. He is the patron saint of Greece, Russia, Moscow, New York, as well as charities, children, and pawnbrokers. Additionally, he is the patron saint of sailors, with relics believed to be his kept in the 11th century basilica of San Nicola in Bari, Italy.

St Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6th every year, and it is a time for filling stockings and shoes with sweets and toys, as well as a fitting date for the patron saint of sailors.

Legends surrounding St Nicholas' generosity appear in texts ranging from medieval manuscripts to modern-day poems, including how he interceded on behalf of wrongly condemned prisoners and saved sailors from storms. One of the most famous legends involves St Nicholas throwing gold pieces into the window of an aging father of three young women who didn't have the means to pay for their dowry.

Devotion to St Nicholas seemed to fade after the 16th century Protestant Reformation, except in the Netherlands where his legend remained as Sinterklaas. Dutch Protestants who settled in New York in the 17th century brought the Sinterklaas tradition with them, which eventually morphed into the secular Santa Claus figure we know today.

Artist Thomas Nast, an engraver in Morristown, New Jersey, played a key role in the transformation of St Nicholas into Santa Claus. He followed the description of Santa Claus in Clement Clarke Moore's "Twas the Night before Christmas" poem, ultimately changing the image of St Nicholas into the secular Santa Claus.

The story of St Nicholas is one that has inspired generations and continues to be celebrated and revered around the world. Whether the legends are true or not, the spirit of generosity and unconditional love that St Nicholas embodies lives on in the hearts of people everywhere.

Share With Others