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From where is Santa coming to begin
with?
The origin of Santa is divided in both Christian and heathen.
In Sweden we have the heathen santas living at the farm, guarding house
and home. Our grey little santa is strong, beardy and often very old.
Quick to take offence and if he don't get proper respect from the family
they are helping they can be so angry and make a terrible revange. But
if the santa is on your side he can even steal from your neighbour to
keep your farm in good shape and well being. To keep the santa happy he
needs to be payed for his work with porridge. Santas lives
under the house, in the stable or on the attic, but also under trees or
big rocks. They works during the night and can be invisiable - that's
why one never can see them. |
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The Christian Santa has its
origin in Bishop Nikolaus who lived in Turkey in the 4th century,
he lately become a saint and is mainly the childrens and the
seamens saint.
On St. Nikolaus Day December 6th, he still comes to children in
Germany and Holland to ask the children if they have been kind
during the year and if so, they get presents. |
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Since then St. Nikolaus has become Santa
Claus with the world, in the shape we are used to see from
Disney-movies.
Santa facts:
The German drawer Thomas Nast grow up in USA and is known for the political
caricatures he drawn. But he is also the man behind our modern image of Santa.
His first santadrawings was published in Harper's Weekly 1862 and the
cooperating between Nast and Harper's Weekly continued for 30 years. The
drawings was inspired by Clement Moore's poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
and showed santa as a joyful man with big, white beard, living at the North Pole
and gave Christmas gifts to nice children. In his santadrawings he also put
presents under the Christmas tree and had a slade pulled by raindeers.
Santa got his red and white
appearance from the Swedish
artist Haddon Sundblom when The Coca-Cola Company 1931 asked him to draw
Santa. When Japan was rebuilt
after the WW 2 with help from USA, the gigantic mall Ginza wanted to
make an American Christmas exhibition. Unfortunately they mixed up the
religious rituals badly, because one morning in December one coudl the
the first Santa in Japan on The Ginza Christmas exhibition - crusified!
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