John Clark
John.Clark at niagaracounty.com
Mon Dec 24 07:55:04 CST 2007
I am currently reading a book...actually, I started it a while ago, and
I'm just now trying to get back to it...which has similar stories in it.
The book is titled, "The Autobiography of Santa Claus" by Jeff Guinn.
My Mother-in-law passed away, two days after Thanksgiving, last year,
and this was on her shelf. It caught my eye and I took it, when they
were boxing things up.
So far it is a very good book. I think I'm actually going to pass it on
to my daughters, when I'm finished.
John W. Clark
Computer Programmer
Niagara County
Central Data Processing
>>> "Bob Gajewski" <rbgajewski at adelphia.net> 12/21/2007 6:27 PM >>>
One story on the history of Santa Claus ... a truly international
wonder
THE HISTORY OF SANTA CLAUS
Santa Claus was not always a jolly old fellow. He did not always have
long
white whiskers and he did not always wear a big red suit. Like so
many
other traditions, he's a product of the great American melting pot - a
blend
of many different cultures and customs.
Long before he lived in the North Pole, and long before his yearly
Christmas
visits brought joy to all the children of the world, Santa Claus was a
child
himself. He was once just an ordinary baby boy living in a village in
what
is now Turkey.
The baby boy was just like any other, but his parents hoped for great
things
from their only son. They named him Nicholas, which means "hero of
the
people"
Even at a young age, Nicholas was a kind and generous boy. He often
helped
the people in his village. He shared his meals with those who had
nothing
to eat, he was always the first to lend a helping hand, and he brought
joy
to young and old alike.
At a very young age Nicholas joined the church. Nicolas became
well-known
throughout the land as a kind and wise young man. He was soon named a
bishop of the church. Because Nicholas was still so young people
called him
the "Boy Bishop".
He wore a long red robe with a red hat, and traveled on horseback.
At
every village, happy children would spot his bright robe from a
distance and
gather in the road to greet him.
In one village, Bishop Nicholas heard the sorrowful tale of a poor old
man
and his three young daughters. It seemed the man could no longer feed
his
daughters, and he feared he would have to send them away from him.
Nicholas
knew he could help this family.
That night, while the whole village slept, Nicholas crept up to the
hut
where they three sisters lived. He climbed up to the rooftop to find
the
chimney. There Nicholas dropped three bags of gold, one by one, down
the
chimney stack. Earlier that day, the three sisters had hung their
newly
washed stockings by the fireplace to dry. Each small bag of gold that
Nicholas dropped fell into one of the stockings below.
The next morning, the girls were overjoyed to find gold coins in their
stockings. "Father", they called, running to wake him. "We have
received a
magical gift!"
As the story of these three sisters spread from village to village,
other
people began hanging their stockings by the fire, hoping to find a
secret
gift when they awoke the next morning.
Though this was Bishop Nicholas' most famous gift, it was not his first
good
deed. And it would certainly not be his last.
For all of his good deeds, Bishop Nicholas was named a Saint. He is
honored
as the saint who looks after all children. Because of his wisdom and
sensitivity, many groups claimed St. Nicholas as their patron saint.
Children, orphans, sailors, and even thieves often prayed to the
compassionate saint for guidance and protection. Entire countries,
including
Russia and Greece, also adopted him as their patron saint, as well as
students and pawnbrokers.
The date of his death, December 6th, was commemorated with an annual
feast,
which gradually came to mark the beginning of the medieval Christmas
season.
On St. Nicholas' Eve, youngsters would set out food for the saint,
straw for
his horses and schnapps for his attendant. The next morning, obedient
children awoke to find their gifts replaced with sweets and toys,
found
their offering untouched. St. Nicholas' Day is still observed in many
countries, and gifts are exchanged in honor of the spirit of the
brotherhood
and charity that he embodied.
After the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, the feasting
and
veneration of Catholic saints were banned. But people had become
accustomed
to the annual visit from their gift-giving saint and didn't want to
forget
the purpose of the holiday. So in some countries, the festivities of
St.
Nicholas' Day were merged with celebrations of the birth of
Christ…Christmas. And although the gift-bearer took on new,
non-religious
forms, he still reflected the saints generous spirit.
In Germany, he appeared as Weihnachtsmann, in England as Father
Christmas,
and in France, as Pèrè Noël, who left small gifts in the children's
shoes.
Immigrants to the New World brought along their various beliefs when
they
crossed the Atlantic. The Scandinavians introduced gift-giving elves,
the
Germans brought their decorated trees and the Irish contributed the
ancient
Gaelic custom of placing a lighted candle in the window.
In 1822 in the now-classic poem by Dr. Clement Moore, "A Visit from
St.
Nicholas," more commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas," gave
an
Arctic flavor to Santa's image when he substituted eight tiny reindeer
and a
sleigh for St. Nicholas’ normal horse and wagon. It is Moore's
description
of Santa that we most often think of today: "He had a broad face, and
a
little round belly, that shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of
jelly."
St. Nicholas' evolution into today's happy, larger-than-life Santa
Claus is
a wonderful example of the blending of countless beliefs and practices
from
around the world. This benevolent figure encompasses all the goodness
and
innocence of childhood. And because goodness is his very essence, in
every
kindness we do, Santa will always be remembered.
---------------------
Seasons Greetings to All
Bob Gajewski
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