THESIS STATEMENT
The evolution of the figure known as Santa Claus may be traced through religious, mythological, and cultural portrayals from the fourth century A.D. to the present.
PURPOSE STATEMENT
Through extensive research and quoted material, this paper will display how the legend of Santa Claus has grown and developed through history to become a modern day icon of the Christmas holiday season.
INTRODUCTION
Carols, snow, mistletoe, cookies and milk. These are all synonymous with the Christmas season. However, for many, the true staple of Christmas is Santa Claus. Every child has felt the joy of Christmas Eve, spending time with family, leaving treats out for Santa, tossing and turning in their beds in anticipation for old St. Nick’s arrival. Although what Santa does is well known, his origins are slightly less familiar to most. The man we identify with Christmas has developed over a long time and has encountered many changes. “The original St. Nicholas is for the most part a shadowy figure, lost in historical mists and religious myths. (Myers 318).
Despite the fact that the idea of giving presents developed from St. Nicholas in the fourth century, the first characters that resemble our modern day Santa developed in the seventeenth century A.D. We acquire these figures from the English and the Dutch. Although this man is not the same as the modern Santa Claus, it is evident that these are his origins. “When the Dutch lost control of New Amsterdam to the English in the seventeenth century, Sinterklaas gradually became anglicized into Santa Claus and acquired some of the features of the English Father Christmas” (Myers 321).
Santa Claus is a character that has been changed and modified throughout hi...
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...was no going back and no untangling; Kriss Kringle was Santa Claus was St. Nicholas and still is” (Myers 320).
Although Santa has become the main staple of the Christmas season it is important to remember the true reason for the season. Jesus’ birth is what December 25 began as until Saint Nicholas day merged with it. Even though the character that has developed and encountered extremely drastic changes, he has almost always been a giving generous figure in society. “Santa is ‘an invention of the advertising industry’ and ‘a representative of consumer society,’ according to Bonifatiuswerk der deutschen Katholiken [Boniface of German Catholics], which seeks to restore St. Nicholas to his proper place in the Christmas season” (Sweas).
For a long time Santa Claus has been an influential part of society and will continue to unite the world universally forever.
Dr. Seuss's original fable is a simple story told with a great moral that criticizes the commercialization of Christmas. The original story features an “Ebenezer Scrooge” type creature that lives up the mountains outside "Whoville." The Grinch indulges himself in the annual ritual of spoiling everyone's festivities with a series of nasty pranks. This particular year however he plans to sabotage the holiday season by dressing as Santa Claus, clim...
Evidently, myths have become the culprit of traditions. That being said, the contemporary and ancient myths of Santa Claus and Krampus can only be understood by determining the elements that devise their entireties. Both narratives involve elements of opposition, trickery, mythemes, repetition, symbols, and ritualistic processes all of which support the structure of each holiday myth and tradition. Overall, the individual elements facilitate a valid, detailed compare and contrast analysis when examining the myths of Santa Claus and Krampus in a North American culture.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a story we are all familiar with, it captures a moment in time of blatant prejudices and inequality that spanned years from when it was written in 1939 to when it was released as a movie in 1964. However endearing the story may be, it is a testament to what conditions were socially accepted as normal during that time period. Originally written by Montgomery Ward to sell appliances, this story has an explicit lens of bigotry, inequality, and the importance of conforming to society.
Is Santa truly a secular figure or is he a religious one? This has been a long-standing argument. However, instead of viewing Saint Nick as either secular or religious, it would be more beneficial to examine him as a figure consisting of both religious and secular elements. It is true that the contemporary Santa Claus may be more associated with secular concepts, such as consumerism, but it is also crucial to emphasize the origins of the jolly old man. He is the product of Western Christianization. It is thought that he was created from a combination of the historical figure of Saint Nicholas, a Christian saint, who was known for giving gifts, and the fictional character of Father Christmas from British folklore (CITE). Santa Claus can be viewed
In Jay Mock’s blog “Is Santa Claus a Conspiracy?” he contemplates whether Santa Claus has an evil purpose. Mock goes through what happens every year during Christmas time now and how “good feelings are directly connected to consumerism” (Mock p3), how we lie to support the conspiracy (Mock p5) and the different options a child may go through when trying to decide whether Santa Claus is real or not (Mock p7-15).
After hundreds of years, it can be agreed upon that the story of Santa Claus could use a few tweaks and changes to progress with society. Clearly, the new generation is all about pizzazz, so the simple story is no longer up to standard. However, no matter how much the outer layer of Santa may change, from weight to tattoos, his morals and values should remain, as they exist to bring hope and joy in a time meant for happiness.
Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so.
It’s December of 1801 and the whole town is decorating, dancing, singing, and laughing as they get ready for a near holiday: Christmas. All but one pessimistic, obdurate cripple of a man. His name is Ebenezer Scrooge, an undermined old male swathed in dark clothing. He is typically found strolling the streets on Victorian London with poor posture, eyes locked on the cracked sidewalk beneath the soles of his shoes. Slumping along, carolers cease to sing near him and nobody speaks when in his presence. Scrooge is a prejudging business man who hurries to be left alone and disregards cheer. He is obdurate and blind to the consequences of his actions. Sudden wealth brings a snobbiness when his business partner dies, and as a result, his one true love divorces him, sending him into a state of hatred and regret. With this evidence to back it up, Scrooge can be perceived as a negative, crippling man with little tolerance to change. However, things are bound to change with the visitation of the wraiths: the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, an inevitable change that be...
...ch out only for themselves, we lose sight of what Christmas is truly about. Forgetting the being of Santa Claus only makes us slight the kindness on which this holiday is based. Not believe in Santa! You may as well not believe in the very gifts laid under the tree on Christmas morn. Without your faith, Santa Claus would be nonexistent. There would be no yearning in your soul to give of yourself to others, no example to follow. Thank God, Santa Claus exists and exists forever, lightening the heavy heart as the sight of the snow blankets the soul and defines the heart of childhood.
as a jolly man dressed in his red garb riding a sleigh to deliver presents or coal to the children of the world on Christmas Eve. In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church dismissed the feast day of St. Nicholas’ because of how little we have about him and his life.
What about other countries though? Is the Christmas season all about giving and receiving gifts? Are children in Spain rewarded by Santa with gifts and toys on Christmas Eve? In this essay we will look at what Christmas season means in Spain, and what traditions are prevalent in their culture. We will also look at the Christmas related traditions of Americans, and how those compare and contrast to those in Spain.
Belief in Santa Claus is good for developing children’s creativity. According to Mertens, the author says that “As children’s brains develop, so do their reasoning skills and imaginations.”(Mertens 1) Children
Just like Dracula, Santa Claus is based on a real person. Santa Claus' story came from St. Nicholas. “St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it” (Cooper). Santa Claus also gives people gifts to this day. Now his name has changed over generations and in certain countries. “In some countries including parts of Austria and Germany, present giver became the ‘Christkind’... In the early USA his name was ‘Kris Kringle’ (from the Christkind). Later, Dutch settlers in
Dutch children would put shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas or "Sinter Klaas" and leave food out for his horse. He'd gallop on his horse between the rooftops and drop candy down the chimneys into the children's shoes. Meanwhile, his assistant, Black Peter, was the one who popped down the chimneys to leave gifts behind. Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinter Klaas to North America -- where we came to know him as Santa Claus. Clement Clarke Moore first described the “jolly old elf” with his sleigh drawn by reindeer, in the poem "The Night Before Christmas.