Where does tradition come from?

His long white beard, his red tunic and his reindeer-drawn snowmobile are the dream of many children around the world at the end of the year. Santa Claus stops the lives of young people and adults From buying gifts to opening on the evening of December 24th or the morning of the 25th – according to everyone’s custom.

An urban legend says that Coca Cola created the Santa Claus we know today. She was wrong. The American company has popularized the iconic image of Santa Claus Thanks for an advertising campaign since 1931. But the image of a plump man with a white beard and red robe was already widespread by the middle of the XIX century.

However, its tradition is very old. Christmas Father is a descendant of St. Nicholas. Inspired by the character of Nicholas of Myra, a wealthy Turkish bishopSaint-Nicolas, which distributed gifts and food to the poor in the 4th century, is celebrated every December 6 in some countries of Eastern Europe and eastern France.

From religious holidays to pagan tradition

In the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation suppressed the feast of St. Nicholas. Corn The Dutch traditionally distribute “sinter glass” gifts. At that time, many of them emigrated to the United States and carried it in their suitcases. He will become “Santa Claus”.

More and more widely spread across the Atlantic, the festival was moved to December 25th Christian families want to associate this role with the birth of Jesus. With literary or advertising adaptations, Santa Claus takes on a contemporary look and travels in a reindeer-drawn snowmobile.

However, there are still some doubts about his exact living space. Each Scandinavian country demands its location. Corn Finland, and more precisely Lapland, tends to confirm its location Thanks to the creation of the “Santa Claus Village” towards Rovanimi, a popular tourist destination for those who love Christmas magic.

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