The original Old St. Nicholas was dedicated to helping others
Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Old St. Nick ...
Regardless of what you call him, everybody knows the round-bellied, white-bearded man in red who flies through the sky each year on Christmas Eve, delivering presents (or coal) to children around the world.
But who exactly is Old St. Nicholas, and how did he become the Santa Claus we know today?
The legend of St. Nicholas
The real St. Nicholas is thought to have been born around 280 A.D., coming up in a wealthy family in the city of Myra, which is in modern-day Turkey. He became a Christian, dedicating himself to God and to helping others.
According to “The Golden Legend,” written by Jacobus de Voragine around 1300, the legend of St. Nicholas began after he secretly delivered pieces of gold to a poverty-stricken man, allowing his three daughters to marry and escape prostitution.
The story goes that he went on to use his wealth for good, traveling and helping people. Some such stories include his ending a famine and saving three innocent men from being beheaded.
Various legends and stories about the life of St. Nicholas appear throughout history. Over the years, he became known as the patron saint of children and sailors. His feast day was designated Dec. 6, the day that is thought to be the anniversary of his death.
How St. Nick became Santa Claus
During the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation heavily challenged the authority of the Catholic Church in Europe. The legend of St. Nicholas was mostly overlooked, except in the Netherlands, where his story remained, and he was known as Sinterklaas.
Eventually, as Dutch immigrants began to settle in New York, they brought the legend of Sinterklaas with them.
Sinterklaas was promoted by Washington Irving’s 1809 satirical novel based on New York’s Dutch history, “Knickerbocker’s History of New York,” Knickerbocker being a fictional New Yorker with ancestry tracing back to the original Dutch settlers.
In 1822, Santa was featured in Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” known today by its famous opening line: “‘Twas the night before Christmas ...”
The modern image of Santa Claus is widely attributed to Thomas Nast, a German-American illustrator and political cartoonist who lived in Morristown and drew political cartoons for “Harper’s Weekly” and other New York Citybased publications.
On Jan. 3, 1863, Nast published his first illustration of Santa Claus for “Harper’s Weekly.” He went on to create 33 total Santa Claus illustrations in the next three years. Each illustration brought new features such as toys, presents and the North Pole, bringing Santa to life and piecing together the story that we know today. Sometimes, he even included cameos of his wife and kids in the drawings, with his Morristown home serving as the backdrop.
Today, Old St. Nick is a Christmas icon, continuing to bring joy to people around the world in much the way he did during his life — just with elves and flying reindeer this time around.