5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Real St. Nicholas

The Man Behind Santa Claus

Many of us know Santa Claus as the joyous, white-bearded figure said to bring gifts to the homes of good children on the night before Christmas. It’s hard of us to think of our childhood and our culture without his legend or influence. But many who celebrate Christmas, particularly a secular one, know little of the origin of the modern figure, derived from Saint Nicholas, the historical Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra. Known for his reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to those in need, there is so much to his story and many legends that have grown as a result. Here are five things you didn’t know about the real St. Nicholas.

He Was Made a Saint Because of His Kindness

St. Nicholas had a reputation for being kind, helping the poor and giving secret gifts to those who needed it. Because of his kindness, he was made a saint. He is recognized not only as the saint of children but also as the saint of sailors. According to one story, he helped a group of sailors off the coast of Turkey who were caught in a terrible storm. They were so terrified that their ship would sink with the crashing waves that they prayed to St. Nicholas for help. He appeared before them on the deck and ordered the waves to calm down and the storm died down. Because of this, they were able to sail their ship back to port safely.

How He Became Santa Claus

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During the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions of St. Nicholas had become unpopular but overtime, his stories were resurrected, particularly in England where he became known as ‘Father Christmas’ an old children’s story character, and in Scotland, where they identified him as Santa. Before he was known in America as Santa Claus, he was ‘Kris Kringle’. It wasn’t until Dutch settlers took the old stories of St. Nicholas to America that he became ‘Sinterklaas’ or as we now know, Santa Claus. He became very popular in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered and began retelling his old stories. The hugely popular poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, now known as The Night Before Christmas, helped consolidate St. Nicholas mythology and solidified the image we know of Santa Claus today.