Santa Claus soared into the headlines of the Stabroek News in the early days of December. Montgomery Chester in a letter with the headline, ‘Why are adults lying to their children about Santa Claus?’ opened a discussion on Santa. I do not like the choice of the word ‘lying’ which brings to mind someone denying that he had committed or omitted a certain act. I would prefer to see the word ‘fooling.’ Anyhow, my question is, are the children really fooled?
Eighty-four years ago at the age of six years with two older siblings and one younger, I recall that we were not taken in. It was make-believe,’ and we played the game with our parents. It the weeks before Christmas we unsuccessfully searched drawers and cabinets to have a preview of the presents that were to come. It was said that Santa came down the chimney. I looked at the small sooty chimney on our Dover stove and ruled that out. Pictures of large chimneys in England raised the question, why should Santa come down a sooty chimney?
Santa brought toys which, though small, gave pleasure to us – a doll’s table and chairs a doll’s teapot with sweets, a hymn book. Anything was welcome.
Today’s children are far smarter than we were with the computer and internet, television and cell phones. They would persuade someone to open the internet to learn more about Santa Claus. Let us see what we find on the Internet.
“Santa Claus and
other bringers of gifts
“Originating from Western culture, where the holiday is characterized by the exchange of gifts among friends and family members, some of the gifts are attributed to a character called Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas or St. Nikolaus, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Pere Noel, Joulupukki, Babbo Natale, Weihnachtsmann, Saint Basil and Father Frost).
“The popular image of Santa Claus was created by the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902), who drew a new image annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast’s Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s.
“Father Christmas, who predates the Santa Claus character, was first recorded in the 15th century, but was associated with holiday merrymaking and drunkenness. In Victorian Britain, his image was remade to match that of Santa. The French Pere Noel evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while La Befana is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the Epiphany. It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts, but got lost along the way. Now she brings gifts to all children. In some cultures Santa Claus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, or Black Peter. In other versions, elves make the toys. His wife is referred to as Mrs. Claus.
“It is often claimed that the basis for the North American figure of Santa Claus is the Dutch holyman and bringer of gifts Sinterklaas. During the American War of Independence the inhabitants of New York City, a former Dutch colonial town (New Amsterdam) which had been swapped by the Dutch for other territories, reinvented their Sinterklaas tradition, as Saint Nicholas was a symbol of the city’s non English past. The name Santa Claus supposedly is derived from older Dutch Sinte Klaas. However, the Saint Nicholas Society was not founded until 1835, almost half a century after the end of the American War of Independence. Moreover, a study of the ‘children’s books, periodicals and journals’ of New Amsterdam by Charles Jones revealed no references to Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas.
“However, not all scholars agree with Jones’s findings, which he reiterated in a book length study in1978. Howard G. Hageman, of New Brunswick Theological Scminary, maintains that the tradition of celebrating Sinterklaas in New York was alive and well from the early settlement of the Hudson Valley on.
“The current tradition in several Latin American countries (such as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that while Santa makes the toys, he then gives them to the Baby Jesus, who is the one who actually delivers them to the children’s homes.
This story is meant to be a reconciliation between traditional religious beliefs and modern day globalization, most notably the iconography of Santa Claus imported from the United States.
“In Alto Adige/Südtirol (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia and Switzerland, the Christkind (Jezisek in Czech, Jezuska in Hungarian and Jezisko in Slovak) brings the presents. The German St. Nikolaus is not identical with the Weihnachtsman (who is the German version of Santa Claus). St. Nikolaus wears a Bishop’s dress and still brings small gifts (usually candies, nuts and fruits) on December 6 and is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht. Although many parents around the world routinely teach their children about Santa Claus and other gift bringers, some have come to reject this practice, considering it deceptive.”
At an early age children learn the difference between fact and fiction. The knowledge is needed by adults.
