The real Santa Claus was a roman-catholic bishop.
He was born around year 270 at the territory
of present Turkey as an only child in a wealthy
family. From the early age he was very devout and he was eager
to help the poor and the homeless.
After his parents' death, he devoted his property to the poor.
In a very discreet way he was giving the presents. He was
doing it in such a way, that nobody knew who put them in front
of the door or threw them through an open window.
Although the benefactor didn't want anything in exchange, the news about
hic noble deeds spread like wildfire.
He was elected as a bishop of Mira and from the start he won people's
hearts not only by being devout but also by being open to their
material needs. After many years of being a bishop, he died on 6th
December, 345-352 (the exact date is unknown).
Santa Claus is an extraordinary patron of writers,
peasants and shepherds, monks, pilgrims and travellers,
sailors and fishermen.
Today, 6th December is a happy holiday, during which people
give eachother small gifts, sometimes witty ones. from the second
half of the 18th century, the most popular presents were sweets, nuts
and toys. Soon after, Santa Claus with a long white beard appeared,
dressed in a red coat and a red hat, with a crook in his hand.
Travelling from one home to another, he was examining children
on the knowledge of the catechism and rules of appropriate behaviour.
Present or slight punishment were given after the exam. The arrival
of Santa Claus has survived till now, but it was moved to the period
of Christmas. Nowadays, 5th and 6th December are connected with all
kinds of charity. For many years, on 5th December a big concert
organised by a charity organization "Porozumienie bez barier" takes
place and money raised on that day is given to the hospitals which
are in "Motylkowe Szpitale dla dzieci" programme. Near Warsaw,
in Piaseczno, is a Fundation of St Claus, co-organiser of many
information campaigns which uses massmedia (posters, radio,
the Internet) to educate people on many social issues.
Today, Santa Claus has many tasks to deal with, but he also has
much more possibilities.