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SANTA CLAUS
Dear children of God, let us know about the Santa
Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and simply "Santa", is a figure with legendary, mythical, historical and folkloric origins who, in many western cultures,
brings gifts to the homes of the good children during the
late evening and overnight hours ofChristmas Eve, December 24.[1] The modern figure was derived from the Dutch figure ofSinterklaas,[2] which, in turn, was part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of Christian bishop and gift giver Saint Nicholas. A nearly identical story is
attributed by Greek Orthodox and Byzantine Christian folklore to Saint Basil of Caesarea.
Basil's feast day on January 1 is considered the time of exchanging gifts in
Greece.
Saint Nicholas of Myra is the primary inspiration for the
Christian figure of Sinterklaas. He was a 4th century Greek Christian bishop of Myra (now
Demre) in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous
gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of
a pious Christian with dowries so
that they would not have to become prostitutes.[8] He was very religious from an early
age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity. In continental Europe (more
precisely the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany) he is usually portrayed as a bearded
bishop in canonical robes. In 1087, the Italian city
of Bari, wanting to enter the profitable
pilgrimage industry of the times, mounted an expedition to locate the tomb of
the Christian Saint and procure his remains. The
reliquary of St. Nicholas was desecrated by Italian sailors and the spoils,
including his relics, taken to Bari [9][10] where
they are kept to this day. A basilica was
constructed the same year to store the loot and the area became a pilgrimage site for the devout, thus justifying
the economic cost of the expedition. Saint Nicholas was later claimed as a patron saint of many diverse groups, from archers, sailors, and children to pawnbrokers.[8][11] He
is also the patron saint of both Amsterdam and Moscow.[12
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