Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, St. Nick, he goes by so many names, none the less he is one of the most iconic figures known all around the world by children and adults alike. Here is a list of lesser known fun facts about the man who embodies the essence of Christmas!
1. He didn’t live at the North Pole.
Far from his home and workshop at the top of the world, in the south of present-day Turkey, lived a 4th century bishop whose full name was Nikolaos of Myra, a city now known as Demre. An ancient Byzantine church dedicated to St. Nicholas and containing his tomb still stands in Demre. Legend holds that it was built on the foundation of a Lycian Temple of Apollo.
2. Saint Nicholas was born into a wealthy family — and had a penchant for charity.
Born a rich man’s son, Nikolaos donated his inheritance to the poor by giving them gifts, which he’d toss through open windows. Details changed as the story was retold, with later versions of him having tossed them down chimneys — the vehicle for Santa Claus to enter homes.
3. The tradition of putting out stockings was to protect young maidens from being sold into sex-slavery.
Many stories are told of his generosity, such as the tale of the father and his three daughters. To save the maidens from being sold into prostitution for their dowries, Nikolaos tossed a bag full of gold into the man’s house. It landed in one of the stockings the eldest daughter had hung up to dry. Now she could be married and was spared from selling her body to survive. The other two daughters quickly hung up stockings for Nikolaos to fill with gold, so that they, too, could be married.
4. Stockings shifted to shoes after Nicholas’ death.
The Feast Day for Saint Nicholas is celebrated annually on December 6, the anniversary of his death. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or, later, placing their shoes out with carrots and hay for the saint’s horse, hoping that Saint Nicholas would fill them with fruit, candy and other small gifts.
5. Early iconography depicts him as a white-haired bishop atop a horse.
Known as Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, he is a stately and resolute man with long white hair and a full beard. He wears a lengthy red cape over a traditional white bishop’s alb, or tunic, holds a long ceremonial shepherd’s staff with a fancy curled top and rides a majestic white horse.
6. A not-so-pretty ditty tells of the murder of children and Saint Nicholas’ role in their resurrection.
A 16th century French song titled “Le Légende de Saint Nicholas” recounts the unfortunate and gruesome fate of three children.
The song, inspired by a miracle performed by Saint Nicholas tells of a butcher, who during a time of famine, welcomed three children into his shop, slayed them and unceremoniously tossed them into a tub of brine to cure, with the intent to sell their flesh as ham. Saint Nicholas, visiting the region to care for the hungry seven years later, not only saw through the butcher’s horrific crime but also miraculously resurrected the three boys.
7. He hangs out with a devil, so be good, for goodness’ sake!
Saint Nicholas was occasionally portrayed in medieval art work, taming a chained devil, who would later become the cloven-hoofed half-goat, half-demon Krampus. Children who have behaved get gifts from Saint Nicholas. Those who have not suffer a terrible fate: They get beaten with a birch switch by Krampus and are packed away in his bag to be taken to Hell.
8. He morphed into Santa Claus in the U.S.
The Reformation attempted to erase the image of St. Nicholas, without success. The tradition was brought to New Amsterdam, the original name for New York, established at the southern tip of Manhattan island, via Dutch settlers as the beloved and saintly bishop Sinterklaas. After years of mispronunciation, the name evolved into Santa Claus.
9. Washington Irving played a part in our conception of Santa as well.
In 1809, author Washington Irving’s satire History of New York From the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, he introduced the “Knickerbocker,” a New Yorker who could trace his ancestry to the original Dutch settlers. It was also a reference to the style of pants the settlers wore.
In its pages, Irving described Santa as a jolly Dutchman who smoked a long-stemmed clay pipe and wore baggy breeches and a broad-brimmed hat. The familiar phrase “laying his finger beside his nose” first appeared in this story. St. Nick lost much of his bishop’s attire and began wearing red cloaks before he got his telltale suit.
10. Things really do go better with Coke.
In 1822, Clement C. Moore wrote a whimsical poem for his children, “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” which was published the following year and is more commonly known by its opening line “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Here is a list of names for Jolly old St. Nick from around the world.
- Aba Chaghaloo (Afghanistan)
- Aghios Vassilis (Greece)
- Ash Man (Germany)
- Aya Nicola (Turkish)
- Babadimri, Albania
- Baba Noel, Iraq
- Babbo Natale (Italy)
- Baboushka (Russia)
- Befana (Italy)
- Bellsnickle (Old American)
- Bozic Bata (Serbo-Croatian)
- Bozicek (Slovenia)
- Christkind (Austria)
- Christkindl (Switzerland)
- Christkindle (Germany)
- Daidina Nollag, Ireland
- Ded Moroz “Grandfather Frost” (Russia)
- Deda Mraz (Bosnia /Serbia/Yugoslavia/Macedonia)
- Diado Coleda (Bulgaria)
- Dun Che Lao Ren “Christmas Old Man”(China)
- Dyado Koleda, Bulgaria
- Dyed Moroz (Russia)
- El Niiiito Dios (Mexico)
- El Nino Jesus (Central America)
- Father Christmas (Jamaica/England/N.Z.)
- Feliz Navidad (Uruguay)
- Gaghant Baba (Armenia)
- Ganesha (India)
- Grandfather Frost/Father Frost (Russia)
- Gwiazdor (Poland)
- Hagios Nikolaos (Greece)
- Hoteiosho “a god or priest who bears gifts” (Japan)
- Hoteisho (Japan)
- Ilwyd (Wales)
- Jizo (Japan)
- Jolasveinn (Iceland)
- Joulupukki (Finland)
- Julemanden (Denmark)
- Julenissen “Christmas gnome” (Norway)
- Julgubben (Finland)
- Jultomten “Christmas brownie” (Sweden)
- Kaledu Senis (Lithuania)
- Kanakaloka (Hawaii)
- Karacsony Apo (Hungary)
- Kerstman (Belgium/Netherlands)
- Klees’chen (Luxembourgish)
- Kolyada (Russia)
- Korvatunturl (Lapland)
- Kris Kringle (Aus./Can./U.S.)
- Los Reys Magos (Spain)
- Mar Nkoula (Arabic)
- Menino Jesus (Central America)
- Mikulas (Hungary)
- Moss Craciun (Romania)
- Nicolo (Austria)
- Pa Norsk (Norway)
- Pai Natal (Portugal)
- Papa Noel (Egypt/Spain)
- Papai Noel (Brazil)
- Papal Noel (Spain, Latin America)
- Pelznickel (Dutch/Netherlands/Germany)
- Pere Noel (France/Belgium/Canada)
- Püha Nikolai (Estonian)
- Queen Mab, Canada
- Rauklas (Germany)
- San Nicola (Italian)
- San Nicolò (Italian)
- San Niccolò (Italian),
- San Niklaw (Malta)
- San Nikolas (Basque)
- San Nikola (Maltese)
- San Nicolás (Spanish)
- Saint Basil (America/England/Greek)
- Saint Nicholas (Aus./Can./U.S.)
- Saint Nick (Aus./Can./U.S.
- Saint Nicolas (French)
- Saint Nikolaas (Netherlands)
- Samichlaus (Switzerland)
- Sanctus Nicolaus (Latin)
- Sankt Nicolai (German)
- Sankt Niklaus (German)
- Sankt Nikolai (Norwegian/Swedish)
- Sankt Nikolaus (Swedish/German)
- Sant Nicolau (Catalan)
- Santa Claus (Aus./Can./U.S.)
- Santa Dan Short (Oklahoma City)
- Santa Kurohsu (Japan)
- Santy (Ireland)
- São Nicolau (Portuguese)
- Sfântul Nicolae (Romanian)
- Shaggy Goat (eastern Germany)
- Shakhta Babah (Azerbaijan)
- Shën Koli (Albanian)
- Shën Kolli (Albanian)
- Shën Kollit (Albanian)
- Shën Nikollië (Albanian)
- Sing Dan Lo Ian (Hong Kong)
- Sint Nikolaas (Dutch/Netherlands)
- Sint Nicolaas (Dutch/Netherlands)
- Sint Sinterklaas (Dutch/Netherlands)
- Sinterklas (Indonesia)
- Sinterklass (Colonial Dutch)
- Sontgaclau Romansch:
- Sunnercla (Germany)
- Svätý Mikuláš (Slovakian)
- Svatý Mikkuláš (Czech)
- Svaty Miklas (Czechoslovakia)
- Svetnik Miklavz (Slovenian)
- Sveti Mikalojus (Lithuanian)
- Sveti Nickola (Serbo-Croatian)
- Sveti Nikola (Macedonian/Croatian/Bulgarian)
- Sviatyij Mykolai (Ukrainian)
- Sweti Mikolaj (Poland)
- Swiety Mikolaj (Poland)
- Svyatoy Nikolay(Russian)
- Svyatoy Nikolskay (Russian)
- Svyatoy Nikolsky (Russian)
- Szent Miklós (Hungarian)
- Szent Mikulás (Hungarian)
- Tsminda Nikolozi (Georgian)
- Vader Kersfees (South Africa)
- Viejo Pascuero “Old Man Christmas”(Chile)
- Volvo Indo (Brazil)
- Weihnachtsmann “Christmas Man”(Germany)