Who really is Santa Claus in pop culture?

 Santa Claus is known in pop culture as an elderly man with a white beard and a red costume. Most legends about Christmas support the version that St. Santa Claus distributes gifts to children in a large sleigh pulled by reindeer. According to many fairy tales, Santa Claus lives at the North Pole or in Lapland, and Elves help him wrap presents. Who really is Santa Claus? How has his image developed over the centuries? Check out the story of the most famous Christmas character in pop culture.

The prototype of the figure of Santa Claus, who gives gifts to children, is Bishop Nicholas of Myra. Most legends revolved around his figure, including: about how the bishop gave away all his wealth to the poor. In the Middle Ages, due to his honor and goodness, Nicholas began to be considered the patron saint of children. He was usually depicted as an old man with a long gray beard who held a bag full of gifts in his hand. On December 6 (the anniversary of the death of Bishop Nicholas), according to 12th-century records from France, nuns dressed as Nicholas delivered gifts to children from poor families. In Polish sources, the cult of giving gifts was first documented in the 15th century. In many countries, Santa Claus delivers gifts on December 6 to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day. In others, his character hands out gifts on December 24, Christmas Eve, or December 25, Christmas Day - of course, only to children who have been good. What do naughty little ones get? Well, a warning in the form of... a long rod.

It is worth knowing that initially Santa Claus was not associated with the northern part of the globe. For the inhabitants of medieval Holland, Sinterklaas, or the local Santa Claus, arrived by ship from warm waters together with his helper Zwarte Piet. The two of them delivered gifts to the children together. Of course, today most people associate Santa Claus with sleighs, snow and Lapland, and not with sailing on the seas, but the Dutch version of Santa Claus talks about just such an exotic character - it was one of the first versions of the children's Christmas hero. Interestingly, Sinterklaas still arouses many emotions in the Netherlands. Children are very anxious about his arrival, which often results in stress-like symptoms. Parents sometimes scare naughty children that Sinterklaas will take them to Spain in a bag, which instills great fear in them. The problem of children's stress related to celebrating Sinterklaas Day is widely commented on in the media - not necessarily in a positive context.

In 1823, Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem titled "Christmas Eve", in which the character of Santa Claus is described exactly as we associate him with today. Santa Claus would come to children on Christmas Day from the North Pole, carrying a huge sack of gifts. He moved in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. The image of Saint Nicholas was also popularized by Thomas Nast in his illustration published in Harper's Weekly (January 1, 1881). It was in this illustration that Nicholas put on an elven hat, not a bishop's miter, for the first time.

In our country, Santa Claus and his elves are not the only ones responsible for handing out gifts on Christmas. In almost every corner of Poland, Christmas gifts are brought by... someone else. The history of Santa Claus in our country became confused after World War II, mainly due to the Great Migration of the People and cultural divisions in the three partitions. In Poland, we have many names for Nicholas and even more traditions related to this figure.

In Lower Silesia, it is customary that Christmas presents gifts on Christmas Day. In Upper Silesia, the Child is responsible for this. In Małopolska and Cieszyn Silesia, gifts are left under the Christmas tree by little angels, and in the Tarnogród Plateau, it is done by dwarves. In Kujawy, Western Pomerania, Kashubia, Pałuki and Greater Poland, Gwiazdor gives gifts to children on Christmas Day. So when does Santa Claus appear? Well, on December 6, good children in Poland also receive gifts.

The figure of Santa Claus has always been controversial. Some identify him with Father Frost (Russia), others with Sinterklaas (Netherlands), and still others with the Three Kings (Spain). What is worth knowing about Santa Claus? Here are some interesting facts about this character.

Santa Claus has 31 hours to deliver gifts to all children. Where does this number come from? Why isn't there 24 hours to hand out gifts? Well, it's all due to... differences in time zones.

Santa Claus is referred to in many different ways around the world. In China it is called Shengdan Laoren, in Japan Santa Kurosu, and in Hawaii Kanakaloka.

The famous red-nosed Rudolph is a marketing gimmick! It was invented in 1939 for the needs of the Montgomery Ward department store chain. Despite everything, the reindeer, Santa's famous helper, has become very popular in pop culture.

The song "Jingle Bells" is associated with Santa Claus and is probably most associated with Santa's sleigh. Interestingly, it was composed in 1857 as a Thanksgiving piece in a Boston Sunday school. For unclear reasons, the song became popular in America and later around the world.

According to one legend, a man was once very poor, so he decided to sell his three daughters to a brothel. Saint Nicholas – or then Nicholas of Myra – found out about it. In the evening, he threw three purses of money down the chimney to the stranger, which fell into the shoes and stockings his daughters had left to dry. This is where the custom of hanging socks and shoes on the fireplace for Santa Claus to fill them with gifts comes from.

The famous Santa Claus outfit, i.e. the red costume and hat, became popular in the 1930s. All thanks to the Coca-Cola advertisement created by Fres Mizen. It is in this advertisement that St. Nicholas appeared for the first time in a red coat and headdress. This advertisement cemented the image of Santa Claus in the public consciousness. The hat with a white pompon that Santa Claus wore is the most characteristic element of his outfit. It has also become one of the most popular Christmas symbols.

Image of Saint Nowadays, Santa Claus is used for commercial purposes. It is used by traders all over the world. The figure of Santa Claus appears in stores and on television already in November, staying there until the New Year. Santa Claus is most often depicted as an elderly man with a long white beard, a red suit, and a sleigh pulled by reindeer - of course accompanied by Elves.