Who Is Saint Nicholas? the History of How He Became Santa Claus

We all know Santa as a stout, bearded, jolly-good grandfather who is all about gifts, hilarious laughs, and happy vibes. Ever wondered how this legendary character came into existence? Read further!

Santa Claus is based on a church bishop Saint Nicholas, who is of Greek origin. He is said to have lived in the third and fourth centuries in a Roman town called Myra in the modern day Turkey. An exact image or painting of St. Nicholas isn’t found. The pictures that circulate on the Internet today are forensically-created using the skull and bone-structure of St. Nicholas. His remains from Italy were x-rayed and were used for reconstructing St. Nicholas’ face.

How Did Saint Nicholas Become Santa Claus?

Two interesting tales in St. Nicholas’ life is what made him a gift-bringer. For several years, St. Nicholas was portrayed as a patron saint of children, sailors, pawnbrokers, etc. People who migrated from the Netherlands to America brought with them the tradition of celebrating St. Nicholas. Initially, this had no connection with Christmas, but as years passed, St. Nicholas became popular as a legendary figure, Santa Claus, who brings gifts to children during Christmas. However, Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated not on Dec 25th but on Dec 6th.

The original image of Santa Claus is said to be completely different from what we see now. Santa apparently wore a tan-colored dress and not red. Coca Cola is later said to have changed Santa’s dress to red which later became the color of Santa. There are theories that only in the late 19th century that Santa became extremely popular as an old gentleman with a long beard in a red and white dress who travels from the North Pole in a sleigh pulled by reindeers.

Today, there are several theories about Santa Claus and how he delivers gifts to children during the season of Christmas. Whatever the history is, Santa is a character full of jolly vibes and we love that!