St Nicholas Day How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas had become very unpopular. But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, he became Father Christmas, a character from old childrens stories; in France, he was then known as Père Nöel; in Germany, the Christ Kind. In the early USA his name was Kris Kringle. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became Sinterklaas or as we now say Santa Claus! Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas Day on 6th December. In Holland and some other European Countries, children leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaass horse, they will be left some sweets. St. Nicholas became popular again in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 12:14:00 +0000
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