Spent a lot of the day ‘talking to Father
Christmas.’ (No Santa Claus here! You’ll be hearing a lot more on this topic as
the season progresses.) Back when our children were smallish, and their father
and I were having some ‘quiet time’ together alone, if they
needed us and knocked on the door, we would call out, ‘we’re busy; (we’re) talkin’
about Santa Claus,’ with the unspoken meaning that we were discussing what potential
gifts he might be bringing good boys and girls. Vamoose – ALWAYS worked like a
charm! So that phrase, ‘talking about Santa Claus,’ has come to mean being up secretively to
something having to do with Christmas. Thus, for me today, ‘spent a
lot of the day talking to Father Christmas . . . ‘
Christmas is a Holy Christian observance that
is often celebrated with imaginative, fanciful traditions from folklore and
legend. Santa Claus is a legendary personality, similar to St. Nicholas,
Father Christmas, Sinterklass, and Julenisse. Christkindl, representing
the Christ Child, started bringing small gifts to children in Germany during
the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and
German Christkindl.
Christmas personalities are authority figures who bring gifts to good
children. In some cultures the Santa Claus figure is feared because he
knows all and sees all and may decide children are bad and leave nothing or something
like a lump of coal.
As people move around the world, traditions mix and change with time. The
United States is a melting pot of cultures with different traditions observed
by the many ethnic groups in the country. Likewise, many cultures may
adopt the traditions of neighboring countries.
The following are some different Santa figures and traditions around the world:
·
Austria- St. Nicholas Eve is
celebrated on December 6th. Christmas Eve is when families gather for
dinner. Christkindl, a young woman dressed in robes,
visits Austrian homes and gives gifts to children.
·
Belgium- Dutch speaking Belgians
are visited by St. Nicholas on December 6th,
while Francophone's are visited by Pere Noel.
·
England- Father
Christmas fills stockings or pillowcases with presents for
children.
·
Finland- Finns know that Santa
Claus, also called Jouloupukki, lives in the Arctic
Circle in Northern Finland. Since Santa lives so close to the children in
Finland, he is able to visit them while they are still awake and able
to greet the "Jolly Old Elf."
· Germany- There are different
traditions in Germany, depending upon the region and religion. St.
Nicholas Day is observed by Catholic Families, Christkindl, an
angelic figure in a white robe representing the Christ Child, visits many
Protestant homes. There is also a Santa Claus type figure called Weihnachtsmann who
brings gifts.
·
Hungary- December 6th is St.
Nicholas Day, an important winter holiday in Hungary. Children leave
their shoes out for St. Nicholas to fill with chocolate
candy and other goodies.
·
Ireland- Children in Ireland
leave stockings or pillowcases at the end of their beds, hoping that Father
Christmas will visit and fill them with treats.
·
Italy- The Italian equivalent
of Santa Claus is La Befana. The elderly, witch like
woman flies above Italy on a broomstick to give gifts to the children on
Epiphany Day.
·
Lebanon- Papa Noel is
the Santa Claus in Lebanon. Children wait for Papa Noel to
leave presents near the manger under the Christmas tree.
·
Luxembourg- St.
Nicholas is accompanied by his servant Black Peter(Houseker).
Children leave out plates for St. Nicholas on December
5th to be filled with fruits, nuts and sweets.
·
Mexico- The Magi leave
gifts for children on Christmas Eve.
·
Netherlands- Sinterklaas is
St. Nicholas in the Netherlands. Dutch children put wooden shoes filled
with hay and sugar for Sinterklaas' horse. Good
children receive shoes full of sweet treats.
Julenisse
Nisse
Fjonisse
·
Norway- Elfin
beings called Nisse are part of the Norwegian
folklore. Norwegians offer Christmas Eve porridge to the Julenisse who
lives in the barn to avoid elfin trickery and mischief by Fjonisse,
who lives in the barn and cares for animals. Santa brings
gifts for the children on Christmas.
·
Puerto Rico-
The Magi, or three Kings -Malchor, Gaspar and Baltazar-
visit and leave gifts for children in Puerto Rico.
·
Russia- St. Nicholas delivered
Christmas gifts in Russia until communist rule, when Grandfather Frost took
over. Grandfather Frost usually wears a blue suit
instead of the red suit of Santa Claus. A handmaiden accompanies Grandfather
Frost.
Slovenia- St. Nicholas and mischievous elves visit to
scare children who have misbehaved during the year.
·
South Pacific Islands- Santa
Claus arrives on the beach in a magical canoe.
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· Sweden- The Christmas gnome,
called Jultomte, is supposed to live under the floorboards of the
house or barn. Jultomte, with his characteristic red cap and often accompanied by a goat, brings a sack of gifts
and distributes them to kids.
·
Switzerland- The Christkindl appears
as a beautiful angel dressed in white and lights the candle on the Christmas
tree and distributes gifts to children.
·
United States- And
then, of course, last but not least, there’s the real Santa Claus - who takes to the air Christmas Eve in a sled
drawn by flying reindeer and slides down the chimney to deliver gifts to
children, anthropomorphized and forever immortalized by Clement Clarke Moore in the Christmas classic, Twas the Night Before Christmas .
Related top:
No room
for Santa. (don't tell the kids!) Avec strainer - observed on the chimney next door through my
upstairs window – guess the household has outgrown the need for Father Christmas_
