Today is the feast of St Nicholas - so it is time to talk about the big
guy.....................yup Santa
Claus............
The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with Saint
Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in present day Turkey. By all accounts St.
Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. After his death
around 340 A.D. he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors purportedly
stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy, greatly increasing St.
Nicholas' popularity throughout Europe.
His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims he
that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas
became the patron saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cape, flowing
white beard, and bishop's mitre.
In Greece, he is the patron saint of sailors, in France he was the
patron of lawyers, and in Belgium the patron of children and travellers.
Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him and some time around
the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his honor. The Feast
of St. Nicholas was celebrated December 6 and the day was marked by gift-giving
and charity.
After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas
dwindled, but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of
his name Sint Nikolaas was eventually transformed to Sinterklaas. Dutch
children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas would
reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. Dutch colonists brought
brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century and here the
Anglican name of Santa Claus emerged.In 1822 Clement C. Moore composed the poem A Visit From Saint Nicholas, published as The Night Before Christmas as a gift for his
children. In it, he portrays Santa Claus:
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly,
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
Other countries feature different gift-bearers for the Christmas
or Advent season: La Befana in Italy ~ The Three Kings in Spain, Puerto Rico,
and Mexico ~ Christkindl or the Christ Child in Switzerland and Austria ~
Father Christmas in England ~ and Pere Noël, Father Christmas or the Christ
Child in France. Still, the figure of Santa Claus as a jolly, benevolent, plump
man in a red suit described in Moore's poem remains with us today and is
recognized by children and adults alike around the world.
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So is the jolly old elf inside us all out and about and spreading
good cheer this week....? I hope so this is such a lovely time of year if you
can forget the stress and just live in the moment - take the time to enjoy the
little things and let go of stuff that takes your time away from those you
love.
Until tomorow
Angela
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