Skip to main content

The true story of Santa Claus

As every year the night of the 24th to the 25th is a magical night.A senor belly with long hair and white beard, arrives at our houses to leave gifts to the smallest of the household.Lord, better known as Santa Claus or Santa Claus, is an endearing figure who has accompanied us since the Middle Ages , making that night a magical night to sound, but who is this chubby dressed in red ?, Why do you leave gifts to children ?, did it really exist ?, The true story of Santa Claus will try to solve these and other puzzles related to this nice Christmas character.

The true story of Santa Claus

Index of the article

The true story of Santa Claus | The Solstice Festival

Before the question, that we celebrate on December 25 everyone, we will answer that we celebrate the birth of the child Jesus, but the historical facts do not support this theory.No one can confirm the day Jesus Christ was really born.Throughout history, different dates have been raised, but not even the Bible gives an approximate date of the date of his birth.

The true story of Santa Claus

The dances of dates go from April 20 to May 20 and even as of September 29, but nothing conclusive.The only clue the Bible offers us is the mandatory census that Herod had dictated, which is why Maria and Jose were forced to start their march to fulfill the Herod's demand, at which point the birth seems to have occurred.

In what all the experts agree is in the to the impossibility of being born on December 24 at night, not even born in December.Entonce, why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th ?.

The true story of Santa Claus

The Massacre of the Innocents

The answer is simple, until almost the end of IV century , the day of the birth of Jesus was celebrated on January 6 , the same day of the arrival of the Magi.That day was celebrated the Birth of Jesus, the Epiphany of the Magi and the Baptism of Jesus.

Until well into the fourth century, in Rome celebrated the most popular festival of the year, it was a pagan holiday with a tradition from more than VI centuries The Saturnals. The Saturnals were parties celebrated in the Temple of Saturn , in the Roman Forum, where a feast was prepared for the entire citizenship , in which it towards an exchange of gifts, with a festive and carnival atmosphere.

The true story of Santa Claus

Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum

The reasons for these celebrations were two, to celebrate the Feast of Triumph and most importantly as a tribute in honor of Saturn , god of agriculture.

The true story of Santa Claus

Saturn.represented with a sickle

At the end of the fourth century, Emperor Constantine the Great and Pope Julius I , decided to give a Christian meaning to this pagan festival of the Saturnals.A party that had been celebrated more than 6 centuries, it was a party coinciding with the Winter solstice, that is the shortest day of the year due to the inclination of the earth with respect to the sun, the earth receives less sunlight match nde that day with December 25th.

The true story of Santa Claus

Sol Invictus

For the Romans the Saturnals, it was the most important holiday of the year, which is why it was chosen as the day for the celebration of Christmas.It was like the day of the Sol Invictus , became Christmas day.

The true story of Santa Claus | San Nicolas

We are located in year 280 AD, in a town near the city of Mira, in the present Turkey. That date is the of birth of Nicolas, belonging to a family accommodated His merchant father in the Adriatic Sea wanted Nicolas to follow his business steps, on the other hand his mother who wanted Nicolas to be like his uncle, a priest.

The true story of Santa Claus

Ancient city of Mira

The priestly life at that time was a calm and relaxed life , if you also we have in mind that Nicolas's uncle was the Bishop of Mira , his situation would be highly enviable within the clergy, but a terrible epidemic of plague that only a large part of Turkey, He took the life of the parents of young Nicolas ahead.

This totally desolate, decided to give away his assets among the most needy to move to Mira with his uncle, his A decision was made, a priest would be ordained.With 19 years he was appointed a priest and on the death of his uncle he went to his replacement in the position of bishop.

The true story of Santa Claus

San Nicolas

This is the story of Nicolas, from here a number of miracles and unexplained events, turned Nicolas into a very dear Saint, highlighted the goodness he had with the most needy, performing his function Episcopal exercising love for others.At his death, Nicolas became patron of Greece, Turkey, Russia and Lorraine in France.

The true story of Santa Claus | The Legend is born

San Nicolas has been related to the children and their love for them.Nicolas understood that the most unprotected beings were them and I dedicate them a lot of time.

The true story of Santa Claus

Healing of the 3 children stabbed

Between the many stories, it is said that one day someone stabbed several children, when the Saint had news, he ran to the bed where the children were badly injured, knelt beside the bed and I pray with such fervor that children began to heal immediately.

The custom attributed to leaving gifts part of another story in which it is told: once a very poor man who had three daughters, and as usual if he wanted to marry them, he should give the future husband a dowry for them.Being the poor man, he did not have d e dowry for his daughters, condemning them to a beloved single girl .

The true story of Santa Claus

When Nicolas learned of the situation of the poor man, I wait for they reach the age of marriage , to deliver them a small bag full of gold coins, one to each According to the legend, in order not to offend the dismayed father, Nicolas entered through a window at night and deposited the gold bag into the socks of the girls, who were usually hanging in the fireplace, to dry.

The true story of Santa Claus

Another story tells that being sailors in the middle of a terrible storm, totally helpless and lost at the mercy of the storm, they are Curious to pray to God with prayers where they cited the benefits of his bishop Nicolas, asked for his salvation.Count the sailors who at the time of quoting the Saint, the figure of St.Nicolas appeared to them and extending their hands , I calm the waters.Since then, San Nicolas was named Patron of the Sailors.

The true story of Santa Claus

Old Church of San Nicolas in Bari

Now it is time to address what is the real name of the Saint.In the East it is known as as Saint Nicolas de Mira , while in Western Europe, it is known as San Nicolas de Bari. He received this name when after the Muslim invasion of Turkey in 10587, the Christians decided to hide the relics of the Saint in a safe place, so the they moved to the city of Bari in Italy.

The true story of Santa Claus

New Church of San Nicolas

Since his arrival in Bari, the Saint began to perform many miracles, which the Christians interpreted as a sign of gratitude of the saint for removing him from Muslim territory.his fame and popularity spread throughout Europe , and many temples were erected in his honor.

The true story of Santa Claus

Tomb of the Saint in Bari

The true story of Santa Claus | From Nicolas to Santa Claus

According to the investigations that have been carried out it seems that the name change occurred towards in 1624. The first Dutch settlers, began to settle in the new continent, founding the city of New Amsterdam, later changing its name to New York.

The true story of Santa Claus

Sinterklaas Festival

With the arrival of the Dutch settlers they also brought their customs, myths and legends, including the Sinterklaas festival, a party held in Holland on December 5 and 6, in honor of its patron San Nicolas which in German leagues was called Sinterklaas.

The true story of Santa Claus

Washington Irving, in 1809 wrote History of New York, a satira on the first settlers, in this satire were pronounced with an English accent, the name of the Dutch saint Sinterklaas.In this satira Irving began to name him as Santa Claus .In 1823, Santa Claus began to be described, the poet Clement Clarke Moore based on the character that Irving had created, Santa Claus.He described it as a thin, dwarf being, more like a forest goblin.

The true story of Santa Claus

Image of Santa Claus's Irving

This character's ability was to give children toys the night before Christmas , this being was sledding that was pulled by reindeer, being his reindeer guide Rudolph.This was clearly a free version of what had happened many centuries ago in Turkey.

In December in New York, snowfalls are famous so this fact was used to provide poor San Nicolas with sleigh and reindeer.

The true story of Santa Claus

The current figure, recognizable worldwide was achieved in 1863 , when the German cartoonist Thomas Nast , designed a chubby, bonachon and barb character udo for Christmas strips.

The true story of Santa Claus

I create the dress inspired by the clothing of the bishops of the Middle Ages, to create this version of San Nicolas that has nothing to do with the original San Nicolas de Mira.

You may also be interested:

From overhistory , we hope this article has been of your interest, however we have chosen some links our page, with related topics.

The true story of Santa Claus | Image Gallery

The true story of Santa Claus

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Josep Tarradellas Biography

Josep Tarradellas (Josep Tarradellas i Joan; Cervelló, Barcelona, ​​1899-Barcelona, ​​1988) Catalan nationalist politician.His Catalanist and leftist convictions led him to participate in the republican opposition against the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-1930), as a member of various groups that, in 1931, were integrated into the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya coalition. Josep Tarradellas Tarradellas was elected secretary general of that group, which was to dominate Catalan political life during the Second Republic (1931-1936).He was a member of the Spanish Parliament and, after the approval of the first Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia (1932), also a member of the Catalan Parliament, Minister of the Interior and Health and a close collaborator of the first president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Francesc Macià.
Post a Comment
Read more

Francisco Asenjo Barbieri Biography

Francisco Asenjo Barbieri (Madrid, 1823-1894) Spanish composer and musicologist.The significance of Francisco Asenjo Barbieri in Spanish music is threefold: he was an excellent composer, a capable conductor, who is responsible for the introduction in Spain of many symphonic works from the European continent, and a tireless musicologist, responsible for the recovery and edition of the ancient heritage of his homeland. Francisco Asenjo Barbieri Drawn to opera since his earliest childhood (when he attended the Italian opera performances that were offered at the Teatro de la Cruz, in the that his grandfather worked), Barbieri studied clarinet, singing and composition at the Madrid Conservatory, where he had Ramón Carnicer as his teacher.At the end of his studies he carried out various tasks, from copyist to choirmaster, while trying to publicize his first compositions, including the Italian opera Il buontempone (1847). The difficulties to release it made him focus his interest o...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Berlin Wall - Construction, history and fall of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall-Construction, history and fall of the Berlin Wall .The construction and especially the fall of the Berlin Wall have been great events that have marked the history of the 20th century since This wall divided Germany into two parts for more than 28 years. In this article we want to explain the background, the history of the construction, the fall and where you can see the remains of the Berlin Wall.all about the Berlin Wall, the Cold War symbol ! Index of the article Background of the Berlin Wall Let's start the article explaining how Germany was and what happened for the construction of the Berlin Wall.When World War II ended Germany was divided , we focused on Berlin where the city was segmented and n four sectors depending on the countries that occupied it.Or what is the same, Berlin was divided into these four sectors of occupation : The Soviet area The American zone The French zone The English zone When four countries with such different pol...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prehistory: How did the Paleolithic hunters and gatherers live?

In a previous article we already talked about Prehistory and specifically, about hunters and gatherers in the Paleolithic.We suggest you learn more about how these societies lived hundreds of thousands of years ago. Article index Prehistory: Paleolithic hunters and gatherers, how did they live? The prehistoric era encompassed the longest period of humanity, and in fact includes from the appearance of man until the first writings are given.We can say that the prehistory is divided between Neolotic, Paleolithic and stone age. Focusing on the paleolotico , the remains of paintings of the man who lived in the caves, has allowed us to know that these were mainly dedicated to hunting animals and also n collected. Adaptation to the Environment In order to carry out the collection, it was necessary to adapt to the environment that is the ability of man to obtain resources from the environment for the subsistence and growth of the society . The humans of the Paleo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jorge L. Tamayo Biography

Jorge L.Tamayo (Oaxaca, 1912-Playa Vicente, Veracruz, 1978) Mexican engineer and geographer.He was a professor of economic geography, a technical consultant on transportation for the UN attached to ECLAC, and president of the Mexican Society of Natural History (1974-1978).His works include The use of water and soil in Mexico (1958), Atlas of the water of the Mexican Republic (1976) and The fundamental problem of the Mexican agriculture (1964), for which he won the national economics prize in 1962 and 1964.Despite not being one of his fields of study, Jorge L.Tamayo also carried out an enormous task as a historian by collecting more than nine thousand writings and documents related to the Mexican president Benito Juárez, a task in which he invested ten years and whose results would be published in fifteen volumes.
Post a Comment
Read more

Ibn al-Nafis Biography

Ibn al-Nafis (Damascus, 1205-Cairo, 1288) Arab physician.He studied medicine in Damascus.His professional career developed in Egypt, where he was chief of physicians, and later headed the Nasiri Hospital in Cairo. Ibn al-Nafis He is known for his writings on physiology and medicine.His voluminous book on the art of medicine, entitled Kitab al-Shamil , includes specific sections on surgical techniques and on the obligations of physicians to their patients.He also wrote various treatises on eye diseases and on diet, as well as comments on the writings of the Greek physician Hippocrates. His most outstanding contribution was the discovery of the lesser circulation of the blood (pulmonary circulation), to the that it arrived surely by pure reflection, since the dissection was prohibited by the Muslim law; Such a contribution is found in his work Sharh Tashrrih al-Qanun .His theory was not accepted by his contemporaries; However, as early as the 16th century, the Spanish theologi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Georges devereux Biography

Georges Devereux (Lugos, 1908-Paris, 1985) Hungarian-American anthropologist and psychiatrist.He studied physics with Curie and Perrin, but in 1926 he went to the institute of ethnology, where he was a disciple of Maus and Lévy-Bruhl, and settled in the United States, where he was a professor at various universities.He founded ethnopsychiatry ( Ethnopsychiatry , 1970) and synthesized Greek culture ( Dreams in Greek tragedy , 1976), psychoanalysis ( Complementary ethnopsychoanalysis , 1972) and anthropology (he has two studies on the Prairie Indians and the Mohave).
Post a Comment
Read more

John osborne Biography

John Osborne (London, 1929-Shropshire, UK, 1994) British playwright.The first book of his autobiography, A Better Class of Person (1989), describes his childhood in the suburbs, his brief experience as a journalist and his years as a provincial actor, during which he began to write his first plays, the first being staged in 1950. He made his name with Looking back with anger (1956), which was followed by Epitaph for George Dillon (1957), written in collaboration with Anthony Creighton. The Host (1957) starred Laurence Olivier in the role of Archie Rice, a withered survivor of the great Music Hall era. Looking back with anger was the founder of a new theatrical trend that critics called the school of angry young men ( angry young man ) for the vitality, satire and realism of his proposal, which expressed a reaction against the old values ​​and the social order established in the postwar period.Osborne was precisely one of the most important and well-known playwrights o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Enrico Caruso Biography

Enrico Caruso (Naples, 1873-id., 1921) Italian tenor considered the best of his time and one of the greatest in history.Enrico Caruso made his debut in his hometown in 1894, although it was in Milan that he achieved his first great success in 1898 with the interpretation of the opera Fedora , by Umberto Giordano. Enrico Caruso His tours took him around the world, with performances in Saint Petersburg, Rome, Lisbon and Monte Carlo, where he excelled in his magnificent interpretation of La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, accompanied by Australian soprano Nellie Melba.With his fame firmly established, he made his debut in 1902 at London's Covent Garden with Rigoletto by Verdi, an opera that he also performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1903, with extraordinary success.The beauty and strength of her voice won over the Metropolitan audience. His cheerful and outgoing character, his dramatic talent on stage and an almost perfect tenor voice, with a superb powe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ismael Serrano Biography

Ismael Serrano (Madrid, 1974) Spanish singer-songwriter.Endowed with a deep and personal voice, his career began to emerge with the boom of new singer-songwriters of the 1990s and he soon became one of the most openly committed voices of his generation. Ismael Serrano Born in the popular Vallecas neighborhood, the young Ismael grew up among the records of his father, the journalist and writer Rodolfo Serrano, and his older brother.His father even taught him the first chords on a guitar.He began to study music theory and piano and, shortly after, he dared to compose his first songs. In 1992 he began his Physics career at the Complutense University of Madrid and towards the year 1994 he entered the circuit of bars and cafes in Madrid, to play and sing in the emblematic places of the capital that They welcomed musical styles related to his: La Taberna Encantada, Libertad 8 or Galileo Galilei.Following the line of interpreters such as Silvio Rodríguez, Luis Eduardo Aute, Joan Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more