Father Christmas. Kris Kringle. Jolly Old St. Nick. No matter what you call him, Santa Claus has been a symbol of Christmas and the holiday season worldwide, dating back centuries.
The iconic figure is actually based on a real individual, St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, who, in the fourth century in the ancient city of Patara (what is present day Antalya Province in Turkey), was known for secretly giving gifts and helping those less fortunate. His popularity spread across Europe, and he was later introduced to America by the Dutch in the early nineteenth century. In the United States, St. Nicholas evolved into the modern-day Santa Claus, replete with a white beard, round belly, and red suit and hat. CocaCola helped shape the image of Santa. CocaCola commissioned Michigan-born illustrator Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus — showing Santa himself, not a man dressed as Santa. For inspiration, Sundblom turned to Clement Clark Moore’s 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (better known today as The Night Before Christmas).
While the U.S. celebrates the arrival of Santa on Christmas Eve in a sleigh guided by eight reindeer (and Rudolph!) with a sack of toys for children that he brings down the chimney, traditions differ across the globe when it comes to the character. Here is a look at how Santa Claus is represented in other cultures:
THE NETHERLANDS:
America’s version of Santa Claus is based on the Netherlands’s Sinterklaas, a bishop who brings presents to children on December 6, which is known as St. Nicholas Day in commemoration of the patron saint of children. The festivities include the feast of Sinterklaas in his honor. Sinterklaas is tall and thin with a long white beard, wears a long red cape and rides a white horse. Much like Santa Claus, Sinterklaas also has a book in which he records whether children have been naughty or nice throughout the year. Instead of stockings, before going to bed, Dutch kids are told to fill up one of their shoes with presents for Sinterklaas and his horse (e.g. a drawing, a bowl of water and a carrot) and place it by the fireplace (or whichever place works for households without a fireplace).
FRANCE:
Pere Noel, or Father Christmas, visits French children at Christmastime. According to tradition, on Christmas Eve children leave their shoes by the fireplace filled with carrots and treats for Pere Noel’s donkey, Gui (French for “Mistletoe”) before they go to bed. Pere Noel takes the offerings and, if the child has been good, leaves presents in their place. The French holiday tradition also once included a figure named Pere Fouettard, a counterpart to Pere Noel who dressed all in black and delivered coal or spanked children who misbehaved. Pere Fouettard slowly faded overtime as Pere Noel grew in popularity.
GERMANY:
Like many other countries in Europe, Germans begin their holiday festivities with a pre-Christmas celebration on St. Nicholas Day, with children leaving boots out the night before to be filled with some gifts from their wish list. In addition to Santa, German tradition also involves a character similar to Pere Fouettard in France named Krampus. Krampus accompanies Santa on the night of December 5 and punishes disobedient boys and girls, sometimes using a birch rod. Krampus, a horned monster who is a hybrid of a goat and a demon, is meant to scare kids into being good.
SWITZERLAND:
Switzerland features two Santas: Samichlaus, who dresses in a robe similar to those worn by Catholic saints, though it is Christkindl, or Christ Child, who delivers gifts to Swiss children on Christmas Eve. In some areas of the country, Christkindl is a girl dressed in a white robe, gown, and veil. Another Christmas Eve legend in Switzerland is the belief that farm animals, family pets, and even bees gain the ability to talk at midnight, since they were present during the birth of Jesus.
SWEDEN:
Unlike America’s Santa Claus, the Swedish Father Christmas, Jultomten, or simply tomten, is more elf-like. He is small and thin and resembles a leprechaun. Families leave food and drink out for Jultomten in the hopes that he will treat them kindly in return. Sweden celebrates the holiday season through January 13, known as St. Knut’s Day, when a grand feast is held.
RUSSIA:
Russia commemorates Christmas on January 7, which follows the Julian calendar observed by the Russian Orthodox Church. Celebrations begin on December 24 and involve a great feast following a period of fasting. Christmas gifts are brought by Ded Moroz (“Grandfather Frost”), who is accompanied by his beautiful granddaughter Snegurochka (“The Snow Maiden”). The pair arrive in a sleigh pulled by three horses.
JAPAN:
While Christmas is not considered a national holiday in Japan, the country does have similar holiday traditions. The Japanese gift-giving figure is known as Hoteiosho, a jovial Buddhist monk with a large tummy and a sack of presents. Hoteiosho has eyes in the back of his head so he can see if children are behaving without them knowing. The Japanese also enjoy a KFC meal for the holiday, as well as “Christmas cake,” a strawberry shortcake.
SYRIA:
In Syria, boys and girls receive presents on New Year’s Day. Their version of Santa is a camel, the youngest of the camels that carried the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem. Children leave out water and wheat before they go to bed and awake in the morning to find gifts or black marks on their wrists if they have been bad.
SPAIN:
Spanish children receive their gifts from Los Reyes Magos (the Three Wise Men) rather than Santa on January 6, which is known as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. Festivities throughout the season include a parade, the “El Gordo” Christmas lottery, and many multicourse meals with sweets, including a King Cake in honor of the Epiphany.
TURKEY:
Though Christmas is not widely celebrated in Turkey, the birthplace of St. Nicholas shares many of the same traditions, including Santa Claus, or Noel Baba, though Noel Baba delivers gifts on New Year’s Eve rather than Christmas Eve. The gifts are set under a pine tree much like the decorated Christmas Trees from other cultures around the world.
No matter his name or appearance, Santa Claus has become a global icon that best represents what the holiday season is about: giving to others and spreading joy.