Who is Santa?

The most iconic image of Christmas time is a jolly old man, with a white beard, red suit and a sleigh pulled by smiling reindeers. This man is known as Santa Claus, St Nicholas, Father Christmas, or just Santa. He is the little miracle worker who flies the length and breadth of the globe in the early hours of December 25th delivering toys to children.

If you are under 10, this is what Christmas is all about. We all remember the excitement of going to bed on Christmas Eve, and dreaming of what Santa will leave us. Every movement or creak we hear is obviously the reindeer on the roof. Of course, like every mythical icon, there are many stories about Santa and his reindeer and how the legend came about.

St Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century Greek Christian bishop, is the primary inspiration for the Santa Claus figure of today. He was renowned for his generous gifts to the poor and less fortunate. He even presented the 3 impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so they wouldn't have to turn to prostitution. From an early age he was deeply religious and devoted his entire life to Christianity. In certain parts of Europe, namely the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Austria, he is still portrayed in his bishop's robes.

Over the centuries the legend evolved. He married Mrs Claus along the way, gained a band of magical elves to help him in his workshop and acquired his reindeers. These little creatures first appeared in a poem written in 1823, called ‘a visit from St Nicholas'. No one knows who wrote this poem, but its popularity went global. It's most well known as ‘twas the night before Christmas'.

This is when the reindeer first got names; Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem. Dunder evolved into Donner, and Blixem into Blitzen. Since this poem, many books and movies have contributed to this folklore. In the 1947 movie ‘a miracle on 34th street' it was decreed that reindeer can only fly on Christmas Eve, and this is what has stuck in our heads ever since. Rudolph the red nosed reindeer didn't come about until 1939, as the subject of a story and a book.

The story of the sad little reindeer who was bullied by the others, but then saved the day thanks to his nose that glowed in the dark, struck a chord with everyone. He is now by far the most popular of the reindeer.
Santa and Mrs Claus now reside either in the North Pole (if you're American) or in the Korvatunturi Mountains, Lapland Province, Finland. This is where millions of letters are sent to every year from children, to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.