Santa Claus Around The World

        Children in countries around the world await a visit from a mysterious bringer of gifts at Christmas time. He is always a kindly man who brings them toys, other presents. or money. We know him as Santa Claus, but in many other countries he is called by other names.

        Giving people presents at Christmas is a very ancient custom that has been followed for hundreds of years. During the Roman midwinter feast days, people exchanged gifts. They did it again on New Year's Day, and the gifts that they gave to each other were thought to bring luck for the New Year ahead. When Christianity spread throughout the world, the custom of giving presents continued. The gift-giving feast was called Christmas.

        In many countries, the person who brings the gifts at Christmas time comes at night. This person leaves the presents for children to find the next morning. However, in other countries, the bringer of gifts arrives during the day, often with an assistant who helps him distribute them.

        In some European countries, the bringer of gifts is Saint Nicholas of Myra. He arrives on the eve of his feast day (December 5), on a day in Advent (the season just before Christmas), or on Christmas Eve itself. When he arrives, he is wearing his bishop's robes and his miter (a tall, pointed hat). He brings a strange-looking crew of followers with him. These people are often wearing masks and unusual clothing. In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas's helper is called Black Peter. His job is to make sure that children have been good throughout the year and to help Saint Nicholas give away the presents.

        In parts of Germany, children write letters to the baby Jesus with their Christmas present list. In Spain, children are given gifts on the feast of Epiphany (when Christians celebrate the arrival of the Magi, or three wise men, in Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus). They leave their shoes on the windowsills of the houses to be filled by the wise men as they ride past.

        The bringer of gifts in North America is Santa Claus. He's a fat, jolly man with a white beard who arrives on Christmas Eve in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. Children will sometimes leave snacks for Santa to help him on his journey. Stockings are hung by the chimney or elsewhere in the hope that Santa will fill them with little presents and goodies. And children especially look forward to waking up on Christmas Day and finding underneath the Christmas tree even bigger presents left by Santa.

        Nicholas was well known in his lifetime as someone who liked to do good. He especially liked to help people secretly. There is one famous legend about Saint Nicholas. The story tells of Nicholas hearing one day of three beautiful sisters who lived in a miserable hut on the edge of Myra.

        The three sisters were very poor. They could barely earn enough to keep themselves and their old mother from starving to death. When Nicholas heard of their plight, he was very concerned. He decided to do something to help them.

        One night, when everyone was asleep, Nicholas crept through the streets to the edge of town. Quietly, he tiptoed up to the hut where the three sisters lived. He climbed onto the roof and dropped three bags of gold through the hole in the roof where the smoke from the fire came out.

        Now it so happened that the three sisters had washed their stockings before they went to bed. The stockings had been hung by the fire to dry. When Nicholas dropped the gold through the smoke hole, each bag of gold fell into a stocking.

        The three sisters were overjoyed to find bags of gold in their stockings when they woke up the next morning. Soon, the story began to spread. Other people began to hang up stockings in the hope of finding bags of gold when they woke up in the morning.

        From this legend sprang the custom of hanging stockings up by the chimney on Christmas Eve. Over the years, Saint Nicholas became associated with Christmas.

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