![]() Shortly afterward, she had a change of heart and went after the three men with a bag full of gifts to give to the infant. They asked her to lead them to the site, but she refused. Her significance stems from a Christian story that sees her approached by the Three Wise Men while on their way to see baby Jesus, as Monteverdi Tuscany recounted. For children who have misbehaved, Befana leaves a lump of coal. The old soot-covered woman is believed to fly on a broomstick and enter children’s homes through chimneys to offer candy and presents. Le Befana is an Italian legend dating to the 13th century. Some Germanic traditions involve leaving food and milk for Holda Dec. In some depictions, Holda is dressed in red and uses chimneys to deliver gifts. Like Odin, she would fly through the night and give gifts to children, as Beliefnet noted. In German folk legends, she is depicted as a beautiful blonde who is the protector of children’s souls. 5 for the saint to reward them with nuts, fruits and sweets, as pointed out.įrau Holda is the Germanic goddess of winter. Children would leave their shoes on the windowsill or bedroom door on the evening of Dec. Legend has it that whenever Odin flew by he would leave gifts by their boots, as noted.Īfter Christianity took hold, this practice was later adopted in relation to St. Children would leave their boots by the chimney filled with carrots and hay to feed Sleipnir. The 13th century Poetic Edda said the mythical horse could leap great distances - a trait reindeer possess. The winter solstice, also known as Yule, was a time when Odin led a hunting party, known as the Wild Hunt, in the sky with an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir. However, Odin’s ties to Santa Claus may be more pronounced. Nicholas is commonly linked to Odin, the ruler of Asgard, one of the major gods in Germanic mythology who was depicted as a white-bearded man with magical powers. Nicholas and are known by Germanic names, including Ru-klaus (Rough Nicholas), Aschenklas (Ashy Nicholas) and Pelznickel (Furry Nicholas). Since the infant could carry only so many presents, he was given a helper who encouraged good behavior from children - and threatened them with kidnappings or whippings otherwise. This time, the gift giving was attributed to baby Jesus. After the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic saint lost prominence, but the tradition continued. ![]() The other involves three boys who were murdered, dismembered and pickled by their killer, an innkeeper: Nicholas prayed to God and resurrected the three boys, according to the story recounted by Beliefnet.īetween 12, gift-giving celebrations took place on St. One involves Bishop Nicholas giving three bags of gold to a father to save his daughters from prostitution. However, two tales of his life led him to become the patron saint of children and a magical gift giver. Nicholas became the patron saint of many groups, including sailors and entire nations, as National Geographic noted. He was imprisoned for many years until Constantine came to power and made Christianity the dominant religion in the Roman empire.Īfter his death, St. He defended Christianity while followers were being persecuted. Nicholas lived during the third and fourth centuries. Nicholas, the Greek bishop of Myra, a Roman town in Turkey. However, the white-bearded figure associated with Christianity’s major holiday has pagan roots.įor those unfamiliar with the origins of Santa Claus, here are five influences associated with the folk figure: The popular-culture perception of Santa Claus typically involves images of elves, reindeer and the North Pole. ![]()
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