Where is Santa originally from?

Ole Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of giving was born in Patara and made his way through Palestine and Egypt giving coins generously to the poor before coming to rest in Myra in Turkey where his bones were then stolen and laid to final rest in the Basilica of St. Nicola in Bari, Italy. But as saints often are, he was reincarnated (in the Pagan sense) in Britain during Victorian times and dressed in long robes with sprigs of holly in his hair and came to represent a cult mix of Christian, pagan, old catholic, Scandinavian, German and old English traditions. In Britain, thanks to a poem he started “coming down the chimney” and dropping coins in old stockings left out to dry there. And hence does he take up his old generous ways.

Coming down the chimney

The Americans, as they do, took it a step further and the Dutch Sint Nikolaas became Santa Claus, through a dose of American pronunciation, and he got a nice warm red coat with white fur, a red hat, eight reindeers and Rudolph -the red nosed reindeer- to fly back and forth to and from the North Pole with presents to fill stockings and leave gifts under trees for good girls and boys. On his way through Brazil he changes into Papai Noel, strips off the coat and changes into silks and watches over those at the Missa do Galo midnight mass and flies on through South America where elaborate scenes of the wise men and their sheep are set up.

Trades a sleigh for a donkey

Back over to Europe he swaps his name for Balthazar and his sleigh for a donkey to carry gifts to the Spanish children who lay out shoes filled with straw and carrots to receive him. Meanwhile, leaving Italy to La Befana, he turns into a Christmas gnome in Sweden and sneaks up from under the floor of each house with his sack of gifts.

In Russia, he puts his warm coat back on and becomes Babouschka to bring the once banned gifts. On his way across the Mediterranean he turns back into St. Nicholas in Greece as the patron saint of sailors and drips with seawater to reach sinking ships, but leaves the present giving to St. Basil’s Day on January 1st.

Then a quick stop in China to eye a trail of paper lanterns decorating the trees and fill the stockings as “Christmas Old Man” but the real gifts there come at the Spring Festival.

Then upgrades to a jeep

He finishes his trip as the “Swag Man” and strips off again into a blue singlet and baggy shorts, gets into his four-wheel drive and makes his way across the deserts to deliver his presents in time for Christmas day and then heads to the beach before going back the North Pole. Ha, and you thought Father Christmas didn’t exist.

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