The question “Is Santa Claus real?” Has been percolating online for several years now. Back in the 1950s, children’s films made a name for Santa Claus as they always showed him carrying gifts and pulling toys down chimneys.
Santa Claus is the old figure that is known to be the favorite celebrant of Christmas all over the world, and who is also said to bring special presents for children on Christmas morning. However, the whole story of Santa Claus is actually inspired by a historical man, Father Christmas. Father Christmas is actually a historical figure who became very popular all over the world, who was a rich nobleman who lived in medieval Germany during the time period referred to as ‘The Dark Ages’. Back in those times, it was believed that he had once been a jolly, good looking, a gentleman called Johannes Christ, who was also the chief celebrant of Christmas in Germany.
When the dark ages ended, with the advent of the Roman Empire and Christianity, a new king, a king who would be known as Julius Caesar, declared Christianity the officially approved religion of the state. This change was marked by the adoption of several new customs and traditions from amongst the many different religions practiced in that period, and one of which was the practice of Santa Claus. In all of this, Santa Claus did not carry any clothes, but merely a white robe. It was because of this red-faced Christmas figure that the whole tradition of Santa Claus was born. The story of Santa Claus is all about a man called Santa Clause who goes around delivering gifts to people on Christmas eve, and one such gift to a person is a reindeer or an alstroemeria, a reindeer, which is nothing more than a fancy name for a dog.
In Christianity, this gift-giver became known as St. Nicholas, which is how he got the name. Although St. Nick did not have any teeth or any visible ears in those days, the traditions surrounding him did not allow any of that. The presents that St. Nicholas would bring each year were mostly food and baskets, which had no other purpose than to be filled with food and gifts. His method of getting the gifts to people was not by using his magic wand, although he did have some tricks up his sleeve.
A few of the traditions which followed him included placing presents under the tree, which went unloved for a long time. Another tradition was that when the presents were opened, they would begin to dance and sing a song to indicate that they had really been received well. Finally, there was the famous ‘Frosty the Snowman’ that had been a popular cartoon character for a very long time. He used red and white colors and would often come riding a sleigh with a reindeer named Bluto. Some people think that Frosty was simply made up by some of the priests to make their tales of Christmas more festive.
Throughout the centuries, different countries tried to pass down their own traditions of the celebration of Christmas. For example, in Russia there was what was called the ‘Santa Suit’ which was very like what we know as Santa Claus today. On the other hand, Spain had their own version of Saint Nicholas, which was calling San Nicholas. In England, it was common to have sleighs that were decorated with ribbons and feathered hats worn by servants. Many of these customs came from countries that were either overrun by the Muslims or were influenced by them during times of war.
Overtime different countries have put their own spin on Santa Claus and his presents. One of the biggest questions people have is whether he really does bring gifts on Christmas eve. Many people assume that he does carry gifts but they are actually another of his legends. This includes seeing him carrying back toys and other gifts. While most likely this was not the case in the middle ages, some people do believe that he does bring presents on Christmas eve. A man named Richard Northder came up with an idea that he thought would answer the question of the people who ask, ‘Does Santa Claus exist?’
He took a piece of wood and carved a figure of a man in a robe and pointed a long pole at the man with the gift. Santa Claus was born. From this pole, many other presents were then created including reindeer, elves and snowmen. Now days, you can buy all kinds of toys, gift baskets and other items that are designed with Santa Claus in mind.