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| Christmas Carnivals » Santa Claus » History of Santa Claus |
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History of Santa Claus |
Santa Claus is probably the most popular of the Christmas icons. He is famous especially with the children, who await his arrival on the Christmas Eve to fill their stockings with gifts. But do you know about the origin of this great friend? Well, Christmas Carnivals will provide you all the information on the history of Santa Claus.
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Santa Claus, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa are all variations of the original name Saint Nicholas. The misprounciation of the name as “Sinterklaas” is said to be the origin of the modern American form of the name, Santa Claus. Accoding to the ancient Christian belifes, Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Christian bishop of the 4th century AD is whom we know as Santa Claus. The bishop was famous for the love, care and gifts that he showered on the poor, and he devoted his life in serving Christ and Christianity. The costom of hanging our stockings by the chimney on the Christmas Eve is believed to have originated from the Germanic folklore, which talks of God Odin, who was very similar in appearance to what we think of Santa in the modern times. During the winter solstice celebration, he would go on a hunting expedition and children used to fill their boots with sugar and carrots for Odin’s horse, Sleipnir. In return, Ogdin would fill up these boots with gifts and candy for the children.
The character of Father Christmas, as Santa is popularly known in Britain is an amalgamation of these folklores and legends. The character has been popular from the 17th century and is thought to be the bringer of the festive cheer of Christmas to the land. The image of the well nourished, bearded man with a pipe and furry overcoat is what is presently established as our very dear Santa Claus.
So get to know your old pal through history of Santa Claus and Christmas Carnivals. Enjoy the festive season and browse through other links on the site to know more about Santa Claus.
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