In the Greek Orthodox tradition, it is not Santa Claus who brings gifts to children, and they are not brought to them on Christmas Eve. Rather, in Greece, Saint Basil is the counterpart of Santa, and it is he from whom kids receive presents on New Year’s Eve. Nonetheless, according to lore, they look and dress identically and have the same red suit.
They may have the same jolly laugh and ride a sleigh pulled by reindeer, but what is most important is that Santa—or whatever his name may be today—is the kind, jolly old man with the long, white beard and smile on his face who brings presents and joy to children throughout the world.
In Charles Dickens’s classic novel A Christmas Carol, the true meaning of Christmas is encapsulated in the few words: “…to think only of others, how to bring the greatest happiness to others. That is the true meaning of Christmas.”
In short, the canonical British writer referred to the true meaning of Christmas which we can discover when we are not consumed by our own selfish needs and wants but instead allow ourselves to become absorbed in the happiness of others for just a while. This is the only way through which we might come to appreciate the magical and powerful exchange of Christmas “gifts” with our loved ones, according to Dickens.
Saint Nicholas
The Santa Claus of the West has his roots in Saint Nicholas, a bishop who was born in 270 AD and lived in Myra in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) until 343 AD. He was a wealthy man who had inherited a vast fortune from his parents after he lost them when he was just a child.
Saint Nicholas was a gentle man with a reputation for helping the poor and anonymously giving gifts to people in need. There are a handful of legends pertaining to this figure, although their historical accuracy is unknown.
The most well-known story of Saint Nicholas is about the origin of the tradition of hanging stockings as a way to stuff gifts into them. The beginning of the story goes:
“There was a poor man who had three daughters. The man was so poor that he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn’t get married. One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house. This meant that the daughter now had a dowry and was able to be married. The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry.”
The evolution of Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus is quite a long one and is known to have lasted from the 4th to the 16th century, when the custom of modern gift-giving originated. Saint Nicholas’ giving nature caused him to become known as the “Father of Christmas” and of children in general, and the stocking that hangs by the fireplace remains an age-old tradition.
Saint Nicholas becomes Santa Claus
The story of Saint Nicholas in Western Europe took many surprising turns, but by the 16th century, the stories of this figure often associated with the Christmas season became outdated and irrelevant. Nonetheless, someone had to deliver presents to children during the holiday. Hence, in the UK, talk of Father Christmas, also known as Saint Christmas or Old Man Christmas, an old character from Northern European plays of the Middle Ages, popped up. In France, he was then known as Père Nöel.
In some countries, including parts of Austria and Germany, the gift-giver became known as the Christkind, or Christkindl, a golden-haired baby with wings, who symbolizes the newborn Baby Jesus.
The stories of Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, made their way to the United States via the Dutch settlers, but the celebration of Sinterklaas died out early on in the country’s history. However, Saint Nicholas became popular once again in the early 1800s, when American writers, poets, and artists, such as Washington Irving, rediscovered the old Dutch stories of Sinterklaas, which then eventually became “Santa Claus.”
In 1821, an anonymous poem titled “Old Santeclaus with Much Delight” was published in New York. It was the very first mention of the Christmas Santa, or Saint Nicholas, on a sleigh pulled by reindeer. The poem was published with eight illustrations in a book known as The Children’s Friend: A New-Year’s Present, to the Little Ones from Five to Twelve, and these are the earliest images of Santa Claus in place of Nicholas or Sinterklaas.
In the East, Saint Basil was the counterpart of Santa but arrived on New Year’s Eve
The story of Saint Basil in the Greek Orthodox Church is quite similar to that of Saint Nicholas. The former was likewise born into a wealthy, educated family, and he is known to have given away all his possessions to the underprivileged and children. Saint Basil was born in the year 329 in Caesarea of Cappadocia.
Around the year 370, when the bishop of the land in which he resided was reposed, he was elected to succeed to his throne. He lived in voluntary poverty and strict asceticism and was the bastion of Orthodoxy in the entirety of Cappadocia although he was persecuted by the Romans. Saint Basil passed away on January 1, 379 at the age of 49.
Over the centuries, the two legends have merged together, and, today, the Santa Claus of the West remains associated with Nicholas, while the Eastern “Santa” is identified with Basil.
Through the centuries, Santa Claus was a beloved figure on Christmas across the world, but today’s image of the jolly plump man in red was the creation of US magazine Harper’s Weekly and Thomas Nast, a German-American cartoonist, in 1863.
In Greece, tradition calls for commemoration of Saint Basil on New Year’s Day rather than Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus on Christmas. Since holiday celebrations begin on Christmas Eve at sunset or with the celebration of first vespers and last for the Twelve Days of Christmas ending with Epiphany on January 6th, the exchange of presents takes place on New Year’s Eve.
Therefore, while Catholics and Protestants exchange presents on Christmas Eve, Greek Orthodox Christians do so in honor of Saint Basil and participate in gift giving on the date of his death at the turn of the new year, or January 1st.
Since the celebration of Christmas lasts twelve days, in Greece, presents are placed under the Christmas tree—or, rather, “Santa” places them there—to be opened on the morning of New Year’s Day.
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