Father Christmas is a most beloved character with the children. The familiar figure of Santa Claus and his bag laden with Christmas gifts is a source of eternal delight to the children and adults alike. History of Father Christmas gives an image of the figure with the red cap, the red coat with white frills, snow-white hair and moustache, the sleigh pulled by reindeer.
The mythology of Father Christmas and his elves making toys in North Pole for the good children is an endearing one.
In England the history of Father Christmas can be traced back to an old English festival usually held in midwinter. The attire then was in green. Red-attired Father Christmas made his appearance some time in 1870's. Saint Nicholas was called Sinter Klaas in Dutch and Santa Claus came from a distorted pronunciation of Sinter Klaas. Father Christmas is essentially an Anglo-Saxon notion. However, Santa Claus is no mythical or fictitious character. History of Father Christmas says the character is based on Saint Nicholas who was a saint in Myra in the fourth century. Saint Nicholas was shy and helping the poor without disclosing his identity was no easy task. One day he climbed up the roof of a house and dropped down a purse full of money through the chimney, which landed in a girl's stocking. Probably the idea of Santa Claus giving gifts in stockings came from this.
Surprisingly, the modern day Santa Claus has much to thank the Coca-Cola company for giving him great publicity in the 1930's.The advertisements of the Coca-Cola company during this time had Santa Claus as its central theme. The history of Father Christmas tells us that this fact made Father Christmas or Santa Claus a well-recognized figure throughout the world. Know all about Father Christmas from Christmas Carnivals.
|
