Christmas is coming, and that means Santa will be dropping down your chimney soon – so make sure to have plenty of mince pies and a little tipple for the great man.
Speaking of Santa, today is St Nicholas Day.
Across Europe, this is a day when children wake up to find the shoes they’ve left out filled with small presents.
St Nicholas represents the act of gift giving for many. But what’s the story behind the celebration, and who was Saint Nicholas?
What is the story of Saint Nicholas?
There are many theories posited about how Santa Claus came about.
One interesting theory is that he is based on the Germanic God, Thor, who rode on a chariot pulled by goats named Cracker and Gnasher.
However, the most general theory is Saint Nicholas was transformed into the Christmas icon from a pagan legend.
A popular story in France centres around three children who were lost after an evil butcher lured them into his shop, where he killed and used them as food to serve to travellers at an inn.
However, Nicholas warned them not to touch the meat and remarkably called them back to life, which resulted in Nicholas gaining a reputation as protector of children.
Another story originates with Nicholas as a bishop who lived in Asia Minor, now Turkey, in the fourth century. He was left a lot of money by his parents, who died when he was young.
How did St Nicholas become Santa Claus?
The St Nicholas we see today is a result of many interpretations by various people.
The poet Clement Clarke Moore described him in 1820 as a happy man who drove a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and came down the chimney to leave presents for children who deserved them.
Coca-Cola commissioned illustrator Haddon Sundblom to create advertising material of Santa, and he turned to Moore’s poem ‘A Visit From St Nicholas’ for inspiration.
The popular belief is that Coca-Cola were responsible for Santa being dressed in red to reflect the company’s colour – however this was not true.
The red suit and white fur trim came from cartoonist Thomas Nast who drew Santa in 1881.
The stocking filling idea came from the story of a poor man who had three daughters but he could not afford a dowry, so none of them could get married.
Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney one night, which fell into a stocking that had been left by the fire to dry.
This allowed the eldest daughter to get married. He continued to do this for others too showing his act of generosity and kindness for others.