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Who Is Santa Claus Aka Father Christmas by Nobody: 11:27am On Dec 20, 2020 |
Saint Nicholas Biography
(c. 280–343)
UPDATED: DEC 12, 2019 · ORIGINAL:
DEC 7, 2017
Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop who
provided for the poor and sick and is the basis
for the popular character of Santa Claus.
Who Was Saint Nicholas?
Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop who
helped the needy. After his death, the legend of
his gift-giving grew. Saint Nicholas transformed
into the legendary character called Santa Claus,
who brings Christmas presents to children
around the world.
Early Life
Saint Nicholas was born circa 280 in Patara,
Lycia, an area that is part of present-day
Turkey. He lost both of his parents as a young
man and reportedly used his inheritance to help
the poor and sick. A devout Christian, he later
served as bishop of Myra, a city that is now
called Demre.
Reputation
There are many legends about Saint Nicholas
of Myra. One story tells how he helped three
poor sisters. Their father did not have enough
money to pay their dowries and thought of
selling them into servitude. Three times, Saint
Nicholas secretly went to their house at night
and put a bag of money inside. The man used
the money so that one of his daughters could
marry. On the third visit, the man saw Saint
Nicholas and thanked him for his kindness. He
also reportedly saved three men who were
falsely imprisoned and sentenced to death.
Death and Legacy
Several sources state Saint Nicholas is
believed to have died on December 6, 343.
Over the years, stories of his miracles and
work for the poor spread to other parts of the
world. He became known as the protector of
children and sailors and was associated with
gift-giving. He was a popular saint in Europe
until the time of the Reformation in the 1500s,
a religious movement that led to the creation
of Protestantism, which turned away from the
practice of honoring saints. Saint Nicholas,
however, remained an important figure in
Holland.
The Dutch continued to celebrate the feast day
of Saint Nicholas, December 6. It was a
common practice for children to put out their
shoes the night before. In the morning, they
would discover the gifts that Saint Nicholas had
left there for them. Dutch immigrants brought
the legend of Saint Nicholas, known to them as
Sint Nikolaas or by his nickname, Sinterklaas,
to America in the 1700s.
Saint Nicholas went through many
transformations in America: Sinterklaas became
Santa Claus , and instead of giving gifts on
December 6, he became a part of the
Christmas holiday . In the 1820 poem "An
Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas" by
Clement Clarke Moore, he is described as a
jolly, heavy man who comes down the chimney
to leave presents for deserving children and
drives a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. The
cartoonist Thomas Nast added to the Saint
Nicholas legend with an 1881 drawing of Santa
as wearing a red suit with white fur trim. Once
a kind, charitable bishop, Saint Nicholas had
become the Santa Claus we know today.
.
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