About Santa Claus

History of Santa Claus

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of 

years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that 

Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in modern-day 

Turkey. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth 

and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. Over 

the course of many years, Nicholas's popularity spread and he 

became known as the protector of children who were in need. 

Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became 

the subject of many legends. 

St. Nicholas was not the only inspired gift - giver to make an 

appearance at Christmas time. Similar figures were popular all 

over the world. Kris Kringle was believed to deliver presents to 

well-behaved Swiss and German children. Meaning "Christ 

child," Christkind is an angel-like figure often accompanied by 

St. Nicholas on his holiday missions. 

In Scandinavia, a jolly elf named Jultomten was thought to 

deliver gifts in a sleigh drawn by goats. English legend explains 

that Father Christmas visits each home on Christmas Eve to fill 

children's stockings with holiday treats. Pere Noel is 

responsible for filling the shoes of French children and in 

Russia, Babouschka visits Russian children leaving gifts at their 

bedsides. In Italy, a woman called La Befana, a kindly witch 

who rides a broomstick down the chimneys of Italian homes to 

deliver toys into the stockings of lucky children. 

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