This is a guest post close to my heart, as we have always made sure Kiddo understands the true meaning of Santa Clause, and the life and lessons learned from St. Nicholas.
As we told you earlier, we recommend Santa, Are You Real? for younger children.
When children hear the name Santa Clause their eyes light up and they squeal with excitement over the thought of the gifts he will bring to them Christmas night. Santa Clause has been a household name for centuries. But who is Santa?
Saint Nicholas was born in the third century, in the Greek city of Patara, in a Province of Asia Minor. He was raised Christian by his parents who died in an epidemic when Nicholas was young. He was cared for by his uncle.
When Nicholas grew up he became a Christian priest and later a bishop. He was wealthy and traveled, giving gifts of money and other presents in efforts to help people. He did not like to be seen when he gave gifts so the children of his time were told to go to bed or Nicholas would not come. We still have the tradition today that all children must go to bed early for Santa to visit and leave gifts.
Another tradition we still have today is putting stockings out for Santa. The story is told that there was a certain poor man who had no gold to give his daughters on their wedding day. The girls had stockings hanging by the fire to dry. Nicholas left coins in each girl’s stocking.
Saint Nicholas was so well known for his generosity and kindness that the Roman emperor ruled, in 303 AD, that he would be worshiped as a god. Christians only believe in one God and refused to follow this new law. The emperor imprisoned anyone who would not worship Nicholas, including Nicholas himself. He spent five years in jail suffering hunger, thirst and cold. When he was released from prison he continued his efforts until he died December 6, 343.
Saint Nicholas was not forgotten, in fact by 450 churches in Asia Minor and Greece were being named for him. In 800 he was officially recognized as a saint by the Eastern Catholic Church. By 1200 December 6 was designated Bishop Nicholas Day in France. He was a beloved figure.
In 1500 the people of England stopped worshipping him. They began to favor another gift giving figure, Father Christmas. However, over the centuries Saint Nicholas’s popularity began to grow. The people of Europe told new stories about his care and concern for children. The name Santa came from the Dutch Sinter Klass the pronunciation of Saint Nicholas. Early Dutch settlers to New York brought their traditions of Saint Nicholas whose name was later translated from the Dutch Sinter Klass to Santa Clause.
Robin Greene is a wife and mother of two teenagers. Now that they are older, they enjoy learning the history behind many Christmas traditions and stories. Robin enjoys spending time with her family, teaching kindergarten and writing for mybabyclothes.com. Make sure your little ones are stylish and warm this winter in their new baby clothes, adorable baby headbands and their cozy baby hats.
Photo courtesy of Flickr
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