Who Is The Real ‘Santa Claus’ Actually?

‘What is a real Santa Claus? It’s not real!’ You may be surprised. But there is a real ‘Santa Claus’ He’s not a rosy-cheeked grandpa, nor does he live in the North Pole.. Nor is he wearing a red suit with pompoms.

Of course, his real name is not ‘Santa Claus’ or Santa Claus; Saint Nicholas, Saint Nicholas or Saint Nicholas… Santa Claus, on the other hand, is the last name of this character, which has undergone changes over hundreds of years.

The modern Santa Claus, who set out with his deer from the North Pole, was actually born in Patara, Antalya, in the early 270s.

Known as one of the first Christian bishops, St. Nicholas; benevolent to those around him He is described as a character who protects and watches over the children and the poor and helps them secretly.

A story about three women who were forced into prostitution due to poverty, saving their lives by throwing a bag full of gold and getting them married, St. One of the most famous stories about Nicholas…

st. Many legends are told about Nicholas. One of the most frequently told stories is the story that he saved three children who were killed and their meat was sold…

Apart from these, there are countless stories where children secretly left coins in their shoes, left food at the doors of their houses, and saved the lives of many people who were unjustly killed.

But all these told legends, St. At one point there was little historical record of Nicholas. questionable things we can say.

Researchers at St. After Nicholas’ years Christian families often name their children after him. found. Nicholas is thought to be an ‘honest, honorable and well-intentioned man’ and given this name to children because of his past kindnesses, especially to children. However, just being a religious leader is actually enough.

Therefore, from a neutral point of view, it is clear that naming the children Nicholas that he didn’t prove he was a kind hearted person helping children We can safely say…

Some sources even say that St. He says that this good-hearted, warm-hearted man characterization attributed to Nicholas is not so true, that there is a story full of violence and cruelty behind it.

Persecuting non-Christians in particular, who were in the territory of today’s Turkey at that time and a character who destroyed many ancient temples is said to be.

The fresco above is also St. Nicholas’s A moment when he destroyed the statues in the Temple of Artemis It is represented and is located on the wall of a Serbian Orthodox church.

Obviously in the lands considered important in the growth and spread of Christianity; He lived during the reign of Emperor Constantine I, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. As a Christian, it seems possible that he did this. In fact, there was some friction between him and Constantine and in the process of accepting Christianity by the Romans, St. Nicholas is also said to have had an influence.

The place where Nicholas died is also in our country, Myra Ancient City in Demre. The year of death is known to be 343.

As you can see, there are no reindeer, no red costumes, no elves who help wrap the presents, no big grandfather. So where did all this come from?

It is kind of a tradition in Christianity to have days of celebration and remembrance for saints. st. For Nicholas, this day is December 6, his date of death. for hundreds of years December 6 is celebrated in many Christian communities as St. Celebrated as Nicholas Day. Even today, there are societies that continue this tradition.

But as Protestantism rose in the 1500s and Catholic beliefs and traditions eroded, these days of thanksgiving to the saints began to be discredited. Martin Luther took a decision to ban the celebrations of December 6, when the tradition of giving thanks, celebrating and sharing was active, and moved the celebration day to December 25. because according to him, it was necessary to give thanks and celebrate Jesus, not a saint.

Of course, until all this happened, with the pagan beliefs and traditions of Europe, St. Nicholas’ character had evolved and changed by intertwining.

st. The special day, which celebrates the goodness of Nicholas and his deeds for Christianity, has incorporated many details from pagan traditions over the years. Characteristics of some creatures and characters who bring gifts in pagan traditions over the years St. Nicholas was added to their representation.

For example, traces of character gliding through the air with reindeer and coming from the north, Odin ‘hunts’ by wandering the sky with his crowd of valkyries and ghosts It is thought to have been inspired by the famous ‘Odin’s Wild Hunt’ narrative. It is estimated that the representation of the white-haired and bearded Santa Claus has also evolved from these days.

In addition, Yule, which is a winter festival that is among the pagan European traditions, also has a meal and fun event concept in St. Nicholas has integrated into his day over the years.

Another pagan figure that influenced Santa Claus was the character Krampus, which once existed in many countries. This character was a scary creature that punished bad boys on the night of December 5. As such, on December 6, St. He easily got involved in the day Nicholas rewarded good kids.

Such combinations are the symbols of the Santa Claus character we know today and It began to form the basis of the celebration of Christmas.

For example, while the fireplace played an important role in pagan worship, one version of the story is that St Nicholas gave gold to young women. He was said to have thrown it through the chimney. This aspect of the story and the merging of pagan traditions may have contributed to Santa’s becoming a character entering through the chimney.

Celebrating Christmas was banned in the 17th century. When celebrations were allowed again after years passed, pagan traditions and Christmas celebrations were now thoroughly intertwined. In 17th and 18th century America, St. The figure of Nicholas was translated into English as Santa Claus.

As Christmas celebrations become associated with December 25 and gifts in America, and Santa Claus becomes a common character, the image of the character is particularly With a late 19th century drawing by Thomas Nast became even more permanent. As you can see in the drawing above, Santa Claus was now an old, jolly, cheerful character.

It was Coca-Cola who popularized this cheerful and red-clad Santa Claus and presents it everywhere today…

In 1931, Coca-Cola launched an advertising campaign using Santa’s face. In our country Think of the iconic Coca-Cola ads featuring happy family dinners during the holidays…

This continued for decades as a sales & marketing strategy implemented by Coca-Cola to be on the tables of every home. Coca-Cola ads with Santa Claus were also the ads where this strategy was first applied.

Coca-Cola wanted to make its place permanent by being a guest at the tables with Santa Claus, the beloved of families and children. While doing this By identifying Santa Claus, who is rarely depicted in red, with his own colors. took a successful step.

Then Santa Claus became an increasingly popular figure. It has become a sales tool for all brands and products…

As a result, the 1800-year history of Santa Claus has changed from a holiday dedicated to a radical religious leader to a semi-fictional character used for sales tactics.