Folklore about Santa

Christmas is unimaginable in absence of Santa Claus, not just for children, but also for adults. Santa Claus, gift-giving, and singing carols are long-time Christmas traditions and symbols. Christmas is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday worldwide on the 25th of December.

Santa Claus is a person who brings gifts to the homes of the good children during the late overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24 or on his Feast Day (Saint Nicholas Day), December 6. Like many Christmas traditions and symbols, he has evolved from ancient stories and practices.

The evolution of Santa Claus is inspired by the 4th century bishop, Saint Nicholas. The Greek Christian bishop was from Myra (now Demre), in present day Turkey, and was renowned for distributing gifts to the poor and needy. He was famous for his secret gift-giving, like putting gold bags in the stockings of three poor girls, putting coins in the shoes of people who left them outside, giving gifts to poor children and thus, became the inspiration for Santa Claus. The name ‘Santa Claus’ was derived from the Dutch term ‘Sinterklaas’.

Santa Claus has also been influenced by the German god Odin. He was a major god of the Germanic people prior to Christianization. According to legends, children would fill their boots with sugar, carrots or straw and place them near the chimneys for Sleipnir, Odin’s flying horse.

Introduction

Mrs. Claus is the wife of Santa Claus; however, she does not have a counterpart in mythology or folklore, but was the creation of American authors. In 1899, Katherine Lee Bates, author of “America the Beautiful”, created and introduced her in the poem “Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride”. Here is the first paragraph from the poem:
“Santa, must I tease in vain, dear? Let me go and hold the reindeer,
While you clamber down the chimneys. Don't look savage as a Turk!
Why should you have all the glory of the joyous Christmas story,
And poor little Goody Santa Claus have nothing but the work?”

There are many rituals related to the Santa Claus, which are performed all over the world by children expecting to receive presents or gifts from this mythological character. Some rituals, for instance, NORAD's (North American Air Defense Command) tracking of Santa's sledge on Christmas Eve, are modern inventions while others, like setting out stockings to be filled with gifts, are ancient traditions.

Other rituals, like preparing snacks for Santa, are specific to Christmas Eve while some (like visiting a shopping mall, parades, or department store) occur in the weeks and days before Christmas.