Community Chat

[Kachina624]

Who was St. Nicholas?
Born around 280 in Patara, Lycia, part of present-day Turkey, St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop of Myra who served the poor and needy. He served as the prototype for the modern-day Santa Claus

[ladyroxanne]

i think he's whatever we want him to be

. 

he's the father of christmas.  i think only he knows.

two different answers i know.  that's because i'm not sure.

[Desertdi]

Santa is "universal"............he can be the same ancestry as YOU are (!)

[biancardi]

I am going to go with Odin.  He was a huge figure in Yule time celebration (predates Christmas)  and has been transformed into what we know as Santa today (thru many different incarnations)

[Doxielover]

@Scooby Doo OMG!! I laughed out loud!! Too funny!!  

[Moonchilde]

Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy, or simply Santa is a figure with legendary, historical and folkloric origins who, in many Western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of good, Christian children on 24 December, the night before Christmas Day. The modern figure of Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, whose name is a dialectal pronunciation of Saint Nicholas, the historical Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra. During the Christianization of Germanic Europe, this figure may have absorbed elements of the god Odin, who was associated with the Germanic pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky.

[Lila Belle]

that's what I always heard.

He's magic, whatever his origin.

[Puzzle Piece]

Northern European roots.  Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, St. Stephen, St. Nicolas. 

USA has Santa.