...How did this St. Nicholas become a North Pole-dwelling bringer of Christmas gifts? The original saint was a Greek born 280 years after Christ who became bishop of Myra, a small Roman town in modern Turkey. Nicholas was neither fat nor jolly but developed a reputation as a fiery, wiry, and defiant defender of church doctrine during the Great Persecution, when Bibles were put to the torch and priests made to renounce Christianity or face execution... ...For several hundred years, circa 1200 to 1500, St. Nicholas was the unchallenged bringer of gifts and the toast of celebrations centered around his day, December 6. The strict saint took on some aspects of earlier European deities, like the Roman Saturn or the Norse Odin, who appeared as white-bearded men and had magical powers like flight. He also ensured that kids toed the line by saying their prayers and practicing good behavior... news.nationalgeographic/news/2013/12/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-st-nicholas/
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 00:45:03 +0000
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