The evolution of Santa

By Princeton Chiu

It’s the season of giving! The air of festivity lingers in the air. The ornaments hang among the Christmas trees brighter than ever- and under those very trees are little presents wrapped with love and gratitude. Santa Claus delivers presents from house to house, sliding down our chimney to deliver our presents.

Say, have you ever wondered what, when, and how Santa was born? How did Santa become who we know today? Well, in this article, prepare for a thrill ride across our mascot of Christmas festivities: Santa Claus.

You probably know Santa Claus as a mascot of Christmas, delivering presents through your chimney. However, it wasn’t always like this.

A monk named St. Nicholas can be traced back to 280 AD in Patara, near Myra in modern day Turkey. He was a renowned individual who was known for his good deeds; people admired him for his kindness and generosity. He was a very religious individual and devoted himself to Christianity entirely. It was said that he gave away all his inherited wealth to help the poor and sick, which increased his popularity as a well-known, pious and kind man.

As a result, he became a subject of many legends. One story included saving three sisters from being sold into slavery through marriage.

In the story, it was said that the gold, providing enough for a dowry, was dropped through the chimney by St. Nicholas. These bags of gold landed in their stockings, drying by the fire. Seems really familiar . . . right?

St. Nicholas’s popularity skyrocketed among medieval Europe in the thousands, it was said that “his relics were ‘rescued’ to Italy in 1087.” Through this, his tales spread through word and mouth- and a tradition was born on December 6th- that tradition, called St. Nicholas day. This tradition included leaving presents for children. His fame spread throughout, and he was known as the protector of children and sailors.

In that tradition, it was said he passed through locked doors, or went through chimneys to deliver presents- and put them into stockings hung by the fireplace. This held a reminiscence to the tale where he saved the three sisters from being sold into slavery.

In the Netherlands, it was said that there were special markets on that occasion, selling toys and treats directly targeted to children (since the tradition was to leave presents for children).

It was said that by the Renaissance, he was considered the most popular saint in Europe. Even through the Protestant Reformation (a religious reform movement), St. Nicholas still upheld a positive public image, and his tales continued to be passed down through history. Some evidence, some clear proof that it survived was the 17th century painting made by Jan Steen, showcasing a Dutch painting of gift-giving and feasting.

As seen in the painting, they are seen celebrating the 5th of December, the feast of St. Nicholas. This was celebrated in the Netherlands. It is seen to be somewhat chaotic.

In 1809, Washington Irving claimed that old Dutch families still celebrated and told tales of Sinterklaas (St Nicholas), who flew over the city in a wagon to deliver presents by dropping through the chimneys of people’s houses, delivering presents. A year later, a poem named “Sancte Claus” was published.

In 1821, an anonymous poem was published. It was said that this poem introduced his red coat, reindeer and sleigh- which sounds extremely similar to the Santa Claus we know today. This anonymous poem was named “Old Santeclaus with Much Delight”. To add on, the date of the poem- instead of being set on St. Nicholas day, his arrival was said to have been set on Christmas Eve instead (which is the date we have now).

In it, instead of being depicted as a bishop- he was depicted as a jolly old elf, a bushy beard ‘as white as snow’. From then on, this legend was built upon, taking varieties of forms- tall, short- even the colour of his robes or clothes were changed around and depicted differently.

By 1881, Thomas Nast set Santa’s classic look- still used in our modern world. He introduces his base of operations, his workshop, and how it could be found in the North Pole.

Overtime, it grew and grew in popularity across the globe, enlightening others about his exploits and tales as a jolly old elf who spread joy and happiness through the delivering of presents through chimneys.

And now, in this modern world- he takes place as a mascot, a symbol for our jolly season of Christmas. In many years, from 280 AD, he took on many forms, St. Nicholas, Sinterklaas- through his deeds, he was remembered and honored by people.

Let us enjoy this season of giving as well!

Further reading

https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/the-history-of-father-christmas/

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/12/how-does-st-nicholas-day-differ-from-christmas.html