The legend of santa claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named st. However, the name came to be used for the man commonly called santa claus. Nicholas, more commonly known as the night before christmas and twas the night before christmas from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and later attributed to clement clarke moore, who claimed authorship in 1837 the poem has been called arguably the bestknown verses ever written by an american and is largely responsible for some of. The name santa claus can be traced back to the dutch even more jake, the red suit and presents derive from the norse myths as you know, traders are very superstitious people and they put a lot of stock in what they call the santa claus rally effect. Robin main presents the facts from a point of view that is simultaneously expert and deeply personal. Have you ever wondered where the story of santa claus began, and how he became what he is today. In newly christianized areas where the pagan celtic and germanic cults remained strong, legends of the god wodan were blended with those of. Santa claus, also known as father christmas, saint nicholas, saint nick, kris kringle, or simply santa, is an imaginary figure originating in western christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of wellbehaved children on the night of christmas eve 24 december or during the early morning hours of christmas day 25 december. The name santa claus comes from a dialect of dutch, where the word was sante klaas.
That creepy guy at the mall who pops a boner in your lap when you sit down for a picture youll just throw away in 4 months. According to langers encyclopedia of world history, article santa, santa was a common name for nimrod throughout asia minor. Dec 29, 2016 by putting on the santa suit containing a card with a santa clause in fine print, scott accepted the terms of the contract to become the new santa. When jesus christ comes, he will bring gifts with him revelation 22. Sanat kumara is worshipped by some new age groups as god. Sundbloms work and his version of santa claus pictured above in those years is now some of the most desired depictions of holiday advertising and santa claus himself for christmas collectors and advertising collectors alike. The name of saint nicholas in dutch is sinterklaas, which is the origin of the other name father christmas is known by today. Tim allen has a criminal record and disney has a no hiring of excons policy. In the mean time, i did give him paul prokops book the true story of santa claus which i think is more appropriate for a younger audience. The santa clause is a 1994 comedy movie distributed by walt disney pictures and hollywood pictures. Nicholas is a christmas mystery a fresco of st nicholas of myra circa 12th century at the church of ayios nikolaos tis steyis in cyprus. The name of santa claus is said to derive from nicolaus greek. Behind todays mythical santa claus from the north pole, is a real saint.
Etymology of claus santa claus english words and greek. The original santa claus story santa claus history pghome. This christmas tell your children the real santa claus. If the filmakers had toned down the santa is christmas idea, i would have listed the film as positive. When a man inadvertently kills santa on christmas eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place. The santa claus book is a delightful, fullcolor, intimate history of santa and his elves, describing their daytoday adventures as they prepare for and fulfill st. From there, word passed to the latin west, and upriver to russia. The santa clause is a 1994 american christmas fantasy family comedydrama film written by leo benvenuti and steve rudnick, and directed by john pasquin. He was born to wealthy parents, who died in an epidemic while nicholas was still young. It would be as dreary as if there were no virginias. The name santa claus is the english form of the dutch name for st. It stars tim allen as scott calvin, an ordinary man who accidentally causes santa claus to fall to his death from his roof on christmas eve. This book is the best authority tongue in cheek on the history of santa claus.
The series performed well financially, but experienced a diminishing critical reception with each subsequent film. Interestingly enough, saint nicholas and his legend began in the early church. It was dutch immigrants who originally brought the legend of saint nicholas who was known to them as sinterklaas with them to new amsterdam, which we now know as new york city. Santa clausotherwise known as saint nicholas or kris kringle has. Phyllis tickle, bestselling author of the great emergence. How christianity is changing and why and the words of jesus. It was very enjoyable to read paul prokops book the true story of santa claus to my 3 yearold and wife the other night. In english the name of a canonized person, whether a man or a woman, is traditionally prefixed by the word saint or its abbreviation. This is especially big news for 90s kids, because while there are plenty of christmas. Santa claus synonyms, santa claus pronunciation, santa claus translation, english dictionary definition of santa claus.
Santa claus definition, a benevolent figure of legend, associated with saint nicholas, supposed to bring gifts to children on christmas eve. The origin of mass, in the christian sense of the word, is not entirely clear. It explains exactly how santa is able to get down chimneys that are too small for him, and how he is able to enter apartments through hot water radiators and heating vents. An example of santa is santa fe, meaning saint faith. A claus, in new york gazette, american english, from dialectal dutch sante klaas, from middle dutch sinter niklaas saint nicholas, bishop of asia minor who became a patron saint for children. In songs, such as santa claus is coming to town, 1932 and here comes santa claus, 1947. Santa claus or father christmas, commonly associated with christmas, is a historical person who is mostly shown as a big and cheerful whitebearded man wearing a red suit with white trim. The history of nicholas presents a tantalizing riddle. In it, saint nicholas is described as a plump old man with eight reindeer and a sleigh, an image that was elaborated upon by the political cartoonist thomas nast in 1862, combining native german traditions along with moores idea of saint nicholas to create todays image of santa claus. Nov 18, 2017 just in time for the holiday season, all three santa clause movies are heading to netflix on dec.
They reflect exactly what is going on in the story. Santa is name thats been used by parents who are considering unisex or nongendered baby namesbaby names that can be used for any gender. The santa clause provides at least one valuable service. So nikolaos literally means victory of the people the real saint nicholas gr a yios nik o laos. The enduring popularity of the 1949 christmas song rudolph the rednosed reindeer has led to rudolph often joining the list, bringing the number of santa claus s reindeer up. Welcome to esl printables, the website where english language teachers exchange resources.
A collection of downloadable worksheets, exercises and activities to teach santa claus, shared by english language teachers. While the elements of a legal contract are present, this article discusses whether the contract would be considered legally binding under australian law. Others help santa keep his naughty and nice list in order, and some elves guard the secret location of santa s village. Though santa claus had been mentioned in american texts before, including in a history of new york book by washington irving, nothing quite like this had been published on santa claus to this. Cc0 the article this christmas tell your children the real santa claus story by lisa bitel was originally published on the conversation and has been republished under a creative commons license. We are quickly coming up to christmas, and what better way to kick off the festive season than to tell a good origin story. Father christmas fills the role in many european countries. The origins of this nickname are not clear, but many believe that this is actually from the german words christkindlein, christkindl, meaning christ child, which was used in reference to baby jesus, not santa claus. Santa tizing is the perfect book for anyone who is frustrated with the secularization of christmas andor wants to delve deeper into its history. Early in the book, the author recounts the traditional stories about saint nicholas and his morphing into the santa claus. Miracle on 34th street, 1947 and in more modern motion pictures such as the santa clause 1995.
It cant be spelled either of the ways you have spelled it. This program explores the history surrounding christmas and the jolly old elf himself, santa claus. Santa claus definition of santa claus by the free dictionary. It would become santa claus other name, kris kringle. Yes, virginia, there is a santa claus frances pharcellus. An old dutch tradition involving giving gifts to children on st nicholass day, december 6, is probably the origin of the santa claus story. Nicholas used his entire inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. Santa claus comes from the dutch words sinter klaas, which is what they call their favorite saint, st. In the movie, scott calvin startles santa and accidentally causes him to fall from his roof when delivering presents on christmas eve. Take wonderful journey to explore the delights of christmas. The christkind was created during the reformation, in 16th and 17th century europe, when martin luther wanted to deemphasise the previous catholic celebration of saint nicholas on december 6th, and invent a new celebration for the protestants.
Portrait of saint nicholas bigstockphoto, santa claus with tree and sack public domain, and a modern depiction of santa claus. It is believed that nicholas was born sometime around. It is believed that nicholas was born sometime around 280 a. Santa claus meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Claus not clause, thats a different word is a nickname for nicholas in dutch. As allan hauck wrote in calendar of christianity, if santa claus has become too commercial, too secularized, perhaps it is because we have forgotten his historical origin in the beloved bishop of myra who. Claus, elves who build his toys, and reindeer who pull his sleigh through the sky father christmas, the nordic version, is said to reside in lapland, finland. Still, the good parts of the film might make the santa clause 2 very entertaining for many christians. Santa claus wasnt always chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf. In the movie, scott calvin startles santa and accidentally causes him to fall. There is also an intriguing theory, handled in a throwaway line of dialogue, to explain how santa is able to visit everybodys house on christmas eve. Santa claus, legendary figure who is the traditional patron of christmas in the united states and other countries, bringing gifts to children. When santa claus appears on christmas eve, he will be bringing gifts with him. The santa clause brief information the santa clause is a 1994 american fantasy family comedy film directed by john pasquin.
Santa claus simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In our culture, weve always kind of wondered how the heck santa is connected to christmas other than the fact that he brings gifts. Santa claus reindeer ride in rovaniemi lapland finland father christmas arctic circle santa village. History of santa claus book 1 santa through the years kindle edition by portman, sandra l download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Tony van renterghem writes in when santa was a shaman. The figure of santa claus occurs in motion pictures, for example. Come learn about the original saint nicholas, and his evolution into santa claus.
In other words, children do a great job of scientifically evaluating santa. History of santa claus book 1 santa through the years. The special presents an origin story for santa claus, who is depicted as a man named nicholas claus who wishes to give every child in the world a gift for christmas. Where the words youve heard used at christmas originate from. We know it comes from latin missa, but there are several competing theories as to what missa is supposed to mean. Both live in the north it is a known fact that santa claus lives in the north pole. How to say santa claus in japanese thesaurus and word tools. The santa clause is a 1994 christmas movie where scott calvin, portrayed by tim allen, inherits the responsibilities of santa claus by agreeing to a contract known as the santa clause. Because saint nicholas gave us such a good example of helping the poor, santa claus may well be a healthy part of our celebrations. December 6th is celebrated as his feast day, and in many countries this is the day he arrives with his presents and punishments.
The true origin of christmas, child sacrifice, nimrod. The poem that introduced santa claus to the world read. His popular image is based on traditions associated with saint nicholas, a 4thcentury christian saint. Superstar comedian and golden glober winner tim allen shines bright in disneys magical. See more ideas about christmas movies, santa claus movie and the santa clause 2.
This time of year, santa claus can be seen on street corners. Santa is short for santa claus, or spanish for a female saint. The dutch word does come from the same origins as the spanish and portuguese, incidentally. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading history of santa claus book 1 santa through the years. The true origin of christmas restored church of god. Claus came from the dutch klaas, from middle dutch niklaas, which derives from the greek name nik o las or nich o las from nik o laos. That year, in 1931, a more jolly santa claus appeared in national geographic, ladies home journal, and the new yorker among others. With tim allen, judge reinhold, wendy crewson, eric lloyd. Dec 03, 2015 alex palmer will be discussing the history of santa letters and signing copies of the santa claus man at the national postal museum, on saturday, december 12, from 35 p. Nicholas as a right jolly old elf caught the imagination of children of all ages and established the prototype of the modern department store santa claus. This christmas tell your children the real santa claus story. Funniest live tv news interviews gone wrong duration. This was also the same fire god who came down the chimneys of the ancient pagans and the same fire god to whom infants were burned and eaten in human sacrifice among those who were once gods people.
The first film in the santa clause film series, it stars tim allen as scott calvin, an ordinary man who accidentally causes santa claus played by tim allens actual movie stunt double, steve lucescu to fall from his roof on christmas eve. Dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, donder variously spelled dunder and donner and blitzen variously spelled blixen and blixem. The santa clause also known as the santa clause trilogy is a series of comedy films starring tim allen and consisting of the santa clause 1994, the santa clause 2 2002 and the santa clause 3. Frankly, most of the book has nothing whatsoever to do with santa claus but dwells upon anecdotal stories of these wild men as the true origin of santa claus. The word luther coined, christkindl, also evolved over the centuries. Little is known of him, but he is traditionally identified as a 4thcentury bishop of myra in asia minor. Synonyms for santa include father christmas, kris kringle, saint nicholas, saint nick, toymaker, santa claus, st nick and kriss kringle. This effort of luthers to move away from the santa claus tradition inadvertently veered right toward it. Just because you cant see something, doesnt mean is doesnt exist. Nickno matter the name, everyone knows the story of this plump, jolly, bringer of gifts. The name santa means saint, holy and is of italian origin. Santa clause article about santa clause by the free dictionary.
Thomas nast gave substance to the vision with the famous series of christmas cartoons. There are many origin stories of santa, which seem to vary country to country. Dec 09, 20 but i digress, back to disney movies one did come to mind that i really enjoy. Santa claus is male, so why isnt he saint instead of santa. Elves make sudden appearances in the days before christmas, to keep an eye on each children and see which of them are behaving well and obeying their parents. When a man inadvertently makes santa fall off of his roof on christmas eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place. Irvings book was a lampoon of the dutch culture of new york, and much of this. Most of us were lead to believe that santa claus is a childfriendly version of saint nicholas we even call him st. When spelling santas last name, does it have an e at the. Parents wont like the fact that in the film, only santa makes christmas really christmas. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.
Blavatsky, the mother of the new age movement, said on page 350 of her book, the secret doctrine, vol. It was not only entertaining, but very educational as well. The santa clause simple english wikipedia, the free. Santa claus, also known as father christmas, saint nicholas, saint nick, kris kringle. Dec 23, 2015 santa claus represented an oldfashioned christmas, a ritual so old that it was, in essence, beyond history, nissenbaum notes. Merry old santa claus by thomas nast via cc history of santa claus in america. Here are some simple definitions for words that appear in the text on worksheet a. If you love santa claus but dont like immigrants, consider yourself a hypocrite. All 3 santa clause movies are coming to netflix, so settle. Some scholars say it is a form of the latin verb mittere, in which case it would mean something that has been sent but it cannot refer to christ. The japanese for santa claus is find more japanese words at. Though the modern santa claus is associated with a world of fantasy, the. The real story of santa claus begins with saint nicholas 270 343 ad, who was born in the village of patara, an area which was once greek but is now part of turkey.
Example sentence with the word santa claus azdictionary. The spiritual origins of santa claus sagacious mama. Dec 09, 2011 the santa clause dennys scene duration. The movie starred actors tim allen, judge reinhold, and wendy crewson. It is a key component of celebrating the holidays reading to my kids for past 25 years since they were young and now with my grandkids. The story that santa claus lives at the north pole may also have been a nast. The elves of the north pole become obligated to grant his wish, facing great obstacles. The ancient origins of santa claus ancient origins. I love the originality of this story and the little things that make it oh, so enjoyable. It is interesting that the english term, watch or time itself, is related to the german word glocke bell. The iconic version of santa claus as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in 1881, when political cartoonist thomas. As a historian of religions who has written books about ancient saints, i caution. Washington irvings 1809 book knickerbockers history of new york first. The name santa claus comes from the dutch words sinter klaas, which is.