Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2024
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
FROM ST. NICHOLAS TO SANTA CLAUS by BORYS PROKOPOVYCH When I was a child, I remember the thrill of “Sviatij Mykolai” handing me a present while I watched the “Chortyk” a bit apprehensively since I wasn’t at all cer tain how good I had been. I also remember having some confusion with the idea of St. Nicholas arriving in his bishop’s attire on December 6th to hand out presents to good children, only to be followed on December 25th by jolly old Santa Claus, who left presents under the Christmas tree. Still, being a child, this momentary curi osity was lost while opening presents. It wasn’t until much later in life that I seriously explored the transition of St. Nicholas to Santa Claus. The giving of gifts is associated with the Legend of Saint Nicholas. Variously known as Sinter Klaas, San Incola, Pelznickel, Clawss, Samilklaus, and other names, he was Nicholas of Myra, a Christian bishop who was thought to have been born in Patras, a district of South ern Turkey, around 280 A.D. There are many popular stories concerning mira cles attributed to him. Perhaps the most popular one concerns the three unwed daughters of an impover ished nobelman who lived in a small town on the coast of Turkey. The maidens could not attract husbands because their father could not afford to provide dowries for them. So late one night, Nicholas dropped a small bag of gold in the maidens’ window so that the eldest girl could be married. Some time later he left a second bag of gold, then a third. The overjoyed nobleman even tually discovered who his benefactor was, and Nicholas was thereafter honored as patron saint of unwed maidens. Another tale told is that while visiting the Turkish town of Myra, Nicholas walked into a controversy that would change his life. Entering the local church to give thanks for a safe voyage, he did not know that the elders of the church had lost their leader and could not agree on a successor. According to the legend, they had been counselled in a dream to choose the next per son named Nicholas (which means “victory” in Greek) who visited the Church. So it was that Nicholas became the Bishop of Myra. Since the 12th century, St. Nicholas has been honored as a bishop, both in writing and characteriza tion. The years from 1200-1600 represent the greatest period of recognition for Saint Nicholas. December 6th was adopted as the date of his birthday. The custom of giving gifts to children in the name of Saint Nicholas became widespread when French nuns began giving gifts to poor families on December 5th, the Eve of Saint Nicholas’ Day. The gifts comprised nuts and exotic fruits that during the rest of the year were beyond their means. After landing in the New World, Dutch explorers led by Henry Hudson built their first church on the island of Manhattan in 1642, dedicating it to Sinter Klaas. They immediately began celebrating the customs of their fore fathers, observing December 6th as Saint Nicholas Day and giving candles and cakes to children in his name. When the British took control of New Amsterdam after 1664, they adopted the Dutch recognition of Sinter Klaas but changed his name to Santa Claus and merged the custom of gift giving with their own observance of the winter solstice and the birth of Christ, on December 25th. Over the next century and a half, St. Nicholas kept his honored position as a bishop. It was not until 1809 that the writer Washington Irving created the first jolly Saint Nicholas character. In 1822, Clement C. Moore wrote a lighthearted poem for his children. Called “A Visit from Saint | Nicholas,” | it transformed St. Nicholas from a bishop into a jolly old elf who descends down a chimney on Christmas Eve, and added a fantasy sleigh drawn by eight tiny reindeer. From 1865 to 1885, Tho mas Nast created spreads featuring Moore’s Saint Nicho las, now Santa Claus, for Harper’s Magazine. As a sales gimmick, in 1931, Coca-Cola commissioned Haddon Sundblom to do a Santa for their sales promotions. Department stores soon followed in using Santa Claus to sell their products. This completed the transition of St. Nicholas to Santa Claus and completely revised the tradition of celebrating St. Nicholas’ birthday. Today’s Santa Claus has become such an integral part of Christmas that few question what one has to do with the other. Many of the Christmas customs we enjoy today are left over from long ago. Giving presents, eating special foods, decorating homes, Christmas trees, all began in the long distant past. But Christmas literally means “Christ’s mass.” It is intended only for celebrating the birth of Christ. The 25th of December was chosen for the birthday of Jesus Christ because no one knew the actual day or date of his birth. It all goes back to the days of the Roman Empire because the Romans already celebrated the festival of Saturnalia in December. This general holiday gave Christians time for their own celebrations. Then, when St. Augustine came to England to preach the gospel, Pope Gregory advised him to keep the dates of the НАШЕ Ж ИТТЯ”, ГРУДЕНЬ 1995 15
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
