Saint Nicholas - the original Santa Claus

Saint Nicholas - defender of the faith

Shopping centres have live dress-up versions for children to have their photo taken with; large inflatable dummies are available as Christmas decorations; and streets are festooned in reindeers, sleds and a large, jolly, laughing man with a beard dressed in a red outfit. Santa Claus. Otherwise known as Saint Nicholas.

Who was the real Saint Nicholas ? He is considered to have been the Bishop of Myra, located in modern day Turkey, but a Roman town in the late third century AD. During this period, he was imprisoned during the Great Persecution in 303 AD and was only released when the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan. Nicholas was known to be the defender of Church doctrine and not so easily dissuaded from his faith. He died around 343 AD however over the centuries since, his fame has grown to the extent that it has become independent of the Christian origin. He is known as the patron to many groups of people from sailors, orphans and prisoners but especially children and the fables record his generosity with gifts and miracles he performed. During the Middle Ages, his image assumed a distinctively European deity form with both Roman and Norse characteristics.

The oft-used picture of Saint Nicholas as a bearded man dressed in a red, fur-lined coat  from the North Pole is a very recent one from the 19th Century originating predominantly in North America. This image has migrated back to Europe and been accepted as the cultural norm. He was closer in fact to the one portrayed above which also to an extent is more of the Romanticist portrayal.

At this time, perhaps the strong, committed example of Saint Nicholas has an application well beyond the Christmas season.