34. How Old is Santa?

Santa has undergone many disguises in over 17 centuries

"Santa"

Acrylic on plywood

27x32 cms

Some children may look at you, eyes open wide with disbelief, when you tell them Santa is over one thousand six hundred and fifty five years old. But in effect, that’s more or less the time that has passed since the death of Saint Nicholas, and as one may well guess so has his image undergone more than one disguise.

Nicholas of Bari was not at all Italian but what little is known is that he was the Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor and became so because the Bishop there, this occurring somewhere in the first half of the fourth century, had that day died and the clergy to settle the matter made a secret pact that the first person to enter the Church the next morning would be the new Bishop. And who should walk through that door the following morning- indeed, Nicholas himself!

Apart from the Diocletian persecutions and being imprisoned he seemed to have died quite a bloodless death so why was he proclaimed a Saint, one may wonder. He was much beloved by the people and it was believed that God performed many miracles through him. But basically he is remembered in particular because he had a special love for children and whenever he could he would leave a deserving child gifts anonymously. One occasion, it was acclaimed that he threw bags of gold to provide dowries for the three girls of an impoverished nobleman.

The relics of Saint Nicholas were brought to Bari, a sea town in Southern Italy, by merchants who claim him as their Patron. But many categories of people claim him as their Protector, in particular mariners, travellers, coopers, brewers and bakers, not to mention the pawnbrokers, whose symbols of the three bags of gold is in memory of the ones Nicholas gave to the three girls.

Russia has proclaimed him as Patron Saint of their country but children first and foremost claim him as their Patron Saint and Protector against wrong doing. That is why in Italy children receive their gifts on the eve of 6th December, the feast day of Saint Nicholas, because Santa comes round, without being able to see him, as Nicholas did when he left gifts for children without them knowing who it was.

However, Santa got his name from the Finnish, who in the 17th Century or thereabouts, talking to the American Indians, something got lost in translation and Saint Nicholas came out as Santa Claus. Hence, from Finland we have all these things about reindeers, sleigh bells and all that. Initially, Saint Nicholas was depicted wearing a green cloak and his shepherd’s staff but somewhere in the 30’s of the last century a well known soft-drinks company replaced the staff with a bottle of Coca-cola and dressed Saint Nicholas, who by then had become Santa Claus with a reindeer from Finland, in red.