Yes, Virginia, there really WAS a Santa Claus

By Don Rittner

I can’t think of anything more devastating than being told there was no Santa Claus while growing up. To spare future trauma on small tots, here are the facts. There really was a Santa Claus and his spirit of kindness is what we attempt to perpetuate each year.

A fellow named Nicholas was born in Patara in the year 280 AD about 350 miles northwest of Bethlehem in Asia Minor. He died on December 6^th, 342 or 343. He was born a Christian into a wealthy family but they died during an epidemic. Nicholas distributed his inherited wealth and became a priest, and later the Archbishop of Myra, now Demre, near the SW coast of what is now Turkey.

Bishop Nicholas developed a reputation for kindness and there are many examples. Perhaps one of the more popular stories has to do with three sisters who were too poor to have a dowry upon marriage as their father, a noble, could not raise the money.

When the first two daughters were ready to wed, the bishop tossed a bag of gold into the house at night before each of their weddings. When the third daughter was ready, the father, now wishing to find out who this anonymous donor was, kept a watch on the house. Apparently, the Bishop climbed up on the house and dropped the third bag of gold down the chimney, which fell into a wet stocking that was being hung to dry (now you know the origin of hanging stockings). The nobleman approached Nicholas and he begged to keep it quiet, but like today, secrets get out. After that, everyone who received an anonymous gift thanked the Bishop.

Nicholas became known for calming storms, saving children, and even making prison walls drop when victims of persecution prayed to him. When he died, his kindness became legend and a cult developed.

Several centuries later, the Russian Emperor Vladimir, while visiting Constantinople, heard about Bishop Nicholas and his kindness and decided to make him the patron saint of Russia. Later the stories spread to the Laplands - to the people that use reindeer sleds (getting the picture yet?).

Remember the three bags of gold Nicholas gave the sisters? Merchants in northern Italy took to Nicholas, and statutes and pictures were made showing him holding the three bags. When merchants adopted him as their patron saint, the three bags became three gold balls, representing moneylenders, and today, is the symbol (and patron saint) for pawnbrokers.

St. Nicholas became so popular that churches were built just for him. During the 12-13^th centuries, Holland had 23 churches dedicated to him alone. Amsterdam made him their patron saint, but he also became the patron saint of judges, murderers, thieves, paupers, scholars, sailors, bakers, travelers, maidens and poor children. There are more than 400 St. Nick churches in Great Britain and, besides being the National Saint of Russia, he holds that title in Greece too.

So how did St. Nicholas become Santa Claus? Thank the Dutch for that one. They brought over the tradition with the establishment of New Netherland in the Northeast during the 17^th century. “Sint Nikolaas,” the Dutch way of saying Saint Nicholas, was corrupted to “Sinterklaas.” Pretty easy to see how Sinterklaas became Santa Claus, isn’t it?

The Feast of Sinterklaas has been an annual event in Dutch and Flemish societies for centuries. St. Nicolas Feast Day, celebrated on December 6^th has been observed in most Roman Catholic countries and in the Low Countries (like the Netherlands) without religious overtones. St. Nick has always been portrayed in his bishop clothes (hooded robe, red mantle and mitre (hat), a golden staff (crosier) and sporting a long white beard – and skinny, not fat).

Ironically, the town of Antalya’s Archaeological Museum contains several bone fragments of the former Bishop of Myra in a ‘red-lined’ case. Only these few fragments have been preserved in Turkey. The rest were removed to Italy.

All Dutch kids know that Sinterklaas lives in Spain though know one knows why. It might be a connection with being the patron saint of sailors, or the fact that Spain controlled much of the Dutch region for years. However, while in Spain, St. Nick keeps track of your behavior in a big red book and his assistant Black Peter gathers up enough presents to bring around on December 5^th, the eve of St. Nick’s day. During this time Sinterklaas jumps on his white steed Peter (not a sleigh mind you) with a huge sack of presents slung over his shoulder.

The bottom line is Santa Claus represents a time to be kind and it is in this spirit that perhaps we all show our better side – even if only once a year!