Last Updated: December 24, 2022, 07:42 IST
Christmas 2022: As per the legends, Santa Claus is a jolly good fellow who makes toys for children throughout the year with the assistance of his elves. (Representative Image: Shutterstock)
Christmas 2022: As per the legends, Santa Claus resides in the North Pole with his wife, Mrs. Claus, and is said to receive letters from children requesting their favourite gifts
MERRY CHRISTMAS 2022: Santa Claus, whom children have always been eagerly waiting for during Christmas, is the most adorable and iconic figure. This stout, red-suited, cheerful man brings so much joy and happiness riding in the ‘one horse open sleigh’ drawn by 8 reindeers, ushering in optimism and gifts on Christmas Eve. Parents teach children to be good to earn rewards from Santa. If they are good, they will receive presents in their stockings from Santa.
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So, who is this much-loved, mystery man- Santa Claus? Ahead of Christmas, here’s all that you need to know about Santa.
Who is Santa?
As per the legends, Santa is a jolly good fellow who makes toys for children throughout the year with the assistance of his elves. He is said to receive letters from children requesting their favorite gifts. He resides in the North Pole with his wife, Mrs. Claus.
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The story of this white-bearded, happy man seems to date back to Turkey during 280 A.D. when Saint Nicholas, a monk roamed about helping the needy and sick. This monk used his entire wealth to aid the underprivileged. He apparently used it to pay dowry for three sisters who would have otherwise been sold by their father. The saint turned out to be the protector of children and sailors.
Another story says that when people from the Netherlands migrated to New World colonies, they spoke about the legend of Sinterklaas, which is Dutch for Saint Nicholas. The stories of the Saint’s generosity reached far and wide in America by 1700, and the pop culture there transformed the man’s image. Eventually after the death of him, the name evolved as Santa Claus.
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Well, Santa was not always a healthy figure with a round belly. Washington Irving, an author, portrayed the image of Santa in his book “Knickerbocker’s History of New York” in 1809, as “a pipe-smoking, slim figure flying over rooftops in a wagon delivering presents to good children.”
So, that’s how once a real man emerged as the very lovable, high-spirited Santa whose presence is indispensable during the joyous Christmas.
CLICK HERE TO TRACK SANTA CLAUS MOVEMENT FROM DECEMBER 24
https://santatracker.google.com/windtunnel.html
https://www.noradsanta.org/en/
Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas 2022.
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