Santa Claus history. Where does Santa Claus live? History of Santa Claus in America
New Year is approaching, which means that all the children will be waiting for Father Frost or Santa Claus. And there will probably be curious people who will wonder where these fairy-tale heroes live. What should you answer to the baby?
Santa Claus: who is he and where does he live?
Santa Claus is a North American folklore character, a kind of Christmas grandfather who gives gifts to all children at Christmas. The prototype of this hero is considered to be the Christian saint Nicholas of Myra, in whose honor the gray-haired grandfather was named (“Santa” is a saint, “Klaus” is Nicholas). He was known for his charity and gave gifts to children from poor families.
Initially, in European countries, gifts were given on behalf of December 6, but then the period of the Reformation began, and the baby Christ began to give gifts. But then St. Nicholas was remembered again, but the day of presenting gifts was timed to coincide with Christmas and moved to December 24.
And the image came to America in the 17th century thanks to the Dutch colonists. And so, since then, a gray-haired old man in a red suit and a hat with white fur trims, every Christmas night, flies around all the houses on a sleigh drawn by a reindeer team, and puts gifts in socks, carefully prepared by children.
Where does Santa Claus live? Many have heard that he lives in Lapland. But does this country really exist? Yes, it exists. But this is not a country, but a province, or rather an ethnic territory, located above the Arctic Circle and covering the territory of Finland, Sweden and even Russia.
This province and, accordingly, the village of Santa Claus is located close (about 8 kilometers) from the small town of Rovaniemi. This city has an international airport, so getting here is quite possible.
It is believed that Santa Claus was born on Mount Korvatunturi, which in its outline resembles the ears of a hare (therefore its name literally translates as “ear mountain” or “ear mountain”). Santa lives there all year round with his family and his faithful gnome helpers.
But every year on the eve, he goes down the mountain to his office (located in the vicinity of Rovaniemi), where he takes orders for gifts and monitors their production. Initially there was only a small house, but then it was rebuilt and in 1985 an entire office was officially opened.
This is where tourists from all over the world come to see a real miracle. Now near the office you can see a post office, various workshops, a puppet theater and even a shopping center.
Not far from Santa Claus's office there is a whole amusement park - Santa Park. It is located in the Syväsenvaara cave and was opened in 1998. This place is open all year round, so anyone can immerse themselves in the Christmas atmosphere at any time, as well as ride on attractions, which include a fairy-tale sleigh and Santa Claus' helicopter.
And in the multi-video center you can see the gray-haired old man himself, racing on his sleigh across the starry sky. In general, having been here, anyone will believe in the existence of Santa Claus.
Santa Claus: who is he and where does he live?
In the fairy tale, Father Frost is a gray-haired and gray-bearded old man in felt boots, a sheepskin coat and a hat, who has a magic staff and can perform winter miracles (for example, “conjure” snow, freeze something). Today this character is the most important thing at New Year celebrations.
In fact, he is the East Slavic version of the Christmas giver (there are such givers in the culture of almost every country). Grandfather Frost is always accompanied by his granddaughter Snegurochka, and the old man travels on three horses.
In general, Santa Claus began to be personified with the celebration of the New Year in Soviet times, when the Christmas tree became a New Year's attribute. But the image itself appeared earlier. Thus, the Eastern Slavs quite a long time ago began to personify and personify such a natural element as frost. But initially the character was presented as a small old man who ran through forests and fields and caused winter bitter frosts by knocking.
Then Santa Claus began to appear in fairy tales, but he did not give gifts to anyone, although he could thank and praise them for good work. In the second half of the 19th century, attempts were made to create a character who would give everyone gifts at Christmas. But this hero, firstly, was persecuted by the authorities, and secondly, was not recognized by the Orthodox Church. And only in the last century was Santa Claus finally accepted. Since then, he has been giving gifts to children for the New Year.
What should you tell your child if he asks about the place of residence of Santa Claus? Today it is known to many and is not hidden from anyone. In general, Veliky Ustyug, a city located in the northeast of the Vologda region, is traditionally considered the birthplace of the gray-haired old man. But there are other places where Santa Claus also appears.
The first homeland of this fairy-tale character was Arkhangelsk. But later (in 1995) the management of the Lapland Nature Reserve, located on the Kola Peninsula, launched the project “Fairytale Lapland - the domain of Father Frost,” according to which the character lived in the Chunozero estate.
But then Veliky Ustyug was declared their homeland. And on December 25, 1999, the House of Father Frost was officially and solemnly opened, where he lives to this day. Today, this hero has residences in Moscow and Murmansk. The situation with several Santa Clauses can be clarified as follows: Santa Claus is a wizard, so he can move quickly and even be in several places at the same time.
In Veliky Ustyug there is a huge tower or even the palace of Father Frost, which has a bedroom, dressing room, personal office, and workshops. There is a throne in the center of the palace. If you sit on it and make a wish, it will certainly come true.
By the way, the Belarusian Father Frost also has his own official residence. It was opened on December 25, 2003 and is located in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. And in Ukraine there is no hero at home yet, but soon he will probably appear.
How to write a letter?
You can write a letter to both Santa Claus and Father Frost.
Official postal address of Santa Claus:
162340, Russia, Vologda region, Veliky Ustyug, house of Father Frost.
Santa Claus postal address:
Santa Claus Main Post Office, FI-96930 Arctic Circle, Lapland, Finland.
Now you know what to answer to your child and won’t lose face.
Do you know where Santa lives? It has long been known in Russia that the residence of Father Frost is in Veliky Ustyug, but not every Russian knows where to look for his foreign “brother.” Many, of course, have heard that Santa Claus's house is in Lapland, but the question is: where is this Lapland and does such a country really exist?
Where is Santa Claus Village?
In fact, Lapland does exist, but it is not a separate country, but just an area located above the Arctic Circle and includes parts of Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden. This northern region is famous for the fact that, in addition to the usual seasons, there is a period called “midnight twilight”. The sun, which does not rise above the horizon, creates an incredible world of peace and unusual colors.
Lapland is the birthplace of Santa Claus; it is there, on the Finnish part, that Mount Korvatunturi is located, hidden from human eyes and ears by deserted snowy expanses. The shape of the mountain is similar to an ear; there is a legend that this is why Santa can hear the wishes of all the children in the world.
Considering that only his gnome and reindeer helpers know the way to Santa's home, it is difficult for people to find him. Therefore, not far from the inaccessible mountain there is a village of Santa Claus, where you can meet him almost any day. Santa Claus Village in Kuhmo is a kind of office for the main New Year's hero. In addition to the opportunity to see Santa and whisper your wish in his ear, you can visit the amusement park, the main post office, where letters with wishes arrive from all over the world, see how the gnomes work and see many other interesting places. For example, from the central post office of the village you can send letters and parcels to family and friends; it is noteworthy that your items will have a special seal of the Arctic Circle post office.
Just two kilometers from the village there is a huge Santa Amusement Park, which is a cave in the mountain that shows visitors what Santa Claus's house looks like from the inside. In addition, on the territory of the village you can meet the gnomes, learn about their work and look at it from the outside.
Santa's Village is a great place to buy New Year's or Christmas gifts, here you will find an incredible variety of small shops where you can find a variety of handmade souvenirs, beautiful trinkets that match the overall theme of the village.
New Year holidays
Now that you know where Santa Claus lives in Finland, the idea of visiting this particular country will probably become relevant for the winter holidays. The spirit of magic in the air, snow-covered landscapes of incredible beauty, lots of entertainment and events will make the New Year celebration bright and memorable. Children will be able not only to find out how Santa lives, but also to meet his assistants: elves, gnomes and deer harnessed to Santa's magical sleigh.
Travel agencies offering winter tours to Finland not only offer comfortable conditions for traveling and staying in another country, but will also introduce you to the program of events; fortunately, during the New Year, the village offers a wide range of entertainment for every taste. Transport companies cooperate with Santa's village, making it easier to move around the surrounding area, television and radio broadcasting, a large number of hotels with different prices and services, and in addition, the nearest airport is even named after Santa, because it is where a huge number of planes with tourists land in winter. meet Santa on board.
In Denmark he is called Sinterklaas, in Germany - Father Christmas, in Russia his name is Father Frost. This character has many names and many countries claim that their territory is the birthplace of Santa Claus or Father Frost. However, one of the contending countries recently took a step closer to being named the home of a beloved Christmas character.
Who is Santa?
Saint Nicholas, the generous saint of early Christianity, is considered the prototype of Santa. According to historians and church representatives, he was a church leader in a small Roman town located in modern Turkey.
The exact location of his burial is still unknown. According to some sources, he was buried in Italy, and according to others, in Ireland. In October 2017, Turkish archaeologists discovered a tomb in the foundations of the Church of St. Nicholas in the province of Antalya, not far from the place where the city of Mira stood in the 4th century, the same one in which St. Nicholas served. Archaeologists immediately suggested that the tomb belonged to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
If Turkey manages to earn the title of the birthplace of Santa Claus, a new place may appear on the map of Christmas lovers. However, his “second homeland” is ready to enter into a dispute over Santa.
Finnish Santa
If you ask any Finn where he thinks Santa Claus lives, he will tell you without a shadow of a doubt that Santa comes from Lapland and lives among the hills of Korvatunturi.
These hills, or rather the three-headed hill, are almost always covered with snow and are home to wandering reindeer. It is there, as the Finns are sure, that Santa Claus’s secret workshop is hidden. And, despite the fact that this place was associated with Santa only at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Finnish Christmas tradition is much older.
Tradition and folklore
Before Christianity came to this northern country, the Finns celebrated Yule, a winter solstice holiday popular among Germanic tribes. On St. Knut's Day, January 13, which is still considered the end of the winter holidays in Scandinavian countries, special "demons" called Nuttipukki ("St. Knut's goats"), dressed in birch bark masks and fur coats, knocked on houses and demanded gifts and holiday food.
When the generous Saint Nicholas replaced the terrorizing demons, his image was mixed with the traditional one, and the Finnish Santa began to be called Joulupukki (“the goat of Yule, or Christmas”).
Joulupukki, dressed in red clothes, knocks on the door in the evening and asks if there are obedient children in the house. If there are children, he gives them gifts and leaves.
In November 2017, the Finnish Ministry of Culture and Education recognized this Christmas tradition as a living heritage of the state. UNESCO agreed with the decision. And even if in fact UNESCO will not be able to recognize Santa Claus for Finland, recognition of its ancient traditions is still an important achievement for Finland.
Christmas spirit
So why fight for the recognition of Santa Claus by our compatriots? Although, it would be more correct to ask why not all countries in the world are trying to make this character their property? After all, Santa Claus personifies the spirit of Christmas - a cheerful, friendly, generous and peace-loving character who strives with all his might to ignite the fire of goodness and joy in children. And while skeptics may dismiss him as just a commercial gimmick to get us to spend more money, we can't help but agree that without Santa there is no spirit of Christmas.
Tourism
In addition, Santa's house attracts many tourists. According to statistics, visits to Lapland have increased by 18% this year. Of course, people come not only for Santa Claus, but also for the northern lights, the snowy beauty of Lapland and the ski resort of Rovaniemi, but Santa's house still remains one of the main attractions of the region.
If Saint Nicholas does indeed come from Antalya, Turkey will still have to give in to Finland, which not only has its own Santa, but also the perfect winter landscape that surrounds him - snow, reindeer and aurora. Even the beaches of Antalya cannot argue with this.
The veneration of Saint Nicholas very quickly spread throughout the Christian world, both in the East and in the West. Numerous churches were dedicated to him, people turned to him in prayer, hoping for healing and help. From folk legends that have appeared over the centuries, we learn that St. Nicholas helped the poor and unfortunate by quietly throwing gold coins into shoes left at the door at night and placing pies in the windows. By the way, around 960, the first musical work about St. Nicholas was written in the West, where a new version of the translation of the saint’s life was proposed: instead of the word “innocentes” (innocents) in relation to the three inhabitants of the World, unjustly sentenced to death, “pueri” was used ( children). Due to the incredible success of this medieval musical work about the holy bishop, the tradition of venerating St. Nicholas as the patron saint of children arose. However, even before this, sailors, prisoners, bakers and merchants chose him as their heavenly intercessor.
When the Seljuk Turks began to devastate Byzantium at the end of the 11th century, the residents of the city of Bari, which is located in what is now Italy, “stole” the relics of St. Nicholas from Myra Lycia and thereby saved the shrine, revered by all Christians, from desecration. The relics were brought to Bari, where a majestic basilica was built especially for them. Pilgrims from all European countries flocked to this hitherto unremarkable city. Even the invaders who succeeded each other, from the Normans to the Suevi, revered the sanctity of the St. Nicholas Church, providing it with all possible protection and care. When Bari was captured by William the Fierce in 1156, who razed the city to the ground, sparing neither houses nor churches, the Basilica of St. Nicholas remained untouched among the smoking ruins. There is another significant moment associated with the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas. In 1088, Pope Urban II officially established the celebration of this event on May 9. In the Byzantine east this holiday was not accepted, but in Rus' it became widespread and has survived to this day; people call it “Nikola the Spring”.
In Rus', Saint Nicholas was one of the most revered saints. For example, in the 16th-17th centuries, Russians avoided giving children the name Nicholas because of special reverence, and disrespect for the Wonderworker was perceived as nothing other than a sign of heresy. For Russian Orthodox Christians, Nicholas became the most “democratic” saint, the most accessible, quick and immutable helper. The attitude towards this saint is best shown by one of the countless Russian legends: “Traveling across the earth, Nikola and Kasyan (Saint Cassian of Rome) saw a peasant fussing around his cart, deeply stuck in the mud. Kasyan, afraid to stain his snow-white vestments and afraid to appear before God in an inappropriate manner, did not want to help the poor man, but Nikola without any reasoning got down to business. When the cart was pulled out, the assistant was smeared to the ears with mud, and on top of everything else, his festive vestments were badly torn. Soon both saints appeared before the throne of the Most High Having learned why Nikola is so dirty and Kasyan is clean, the Lord gave the former two holidays a year instead of one (May 9 and December 6), and reduced Kasyan to one every four years (February 29).For Russian Christians, Nikolai the Wonderworker has always been at the same time both a prominent hierarch and a simple, kind saint, and also a quick helper in troubles.”
However, we digress. How did Saint Nicholas become Santa Claus and become strongly associated with the Christmas holiday? To understand this, we need to move back to the Christian West.
Around the 10th century, the Cologne Cathedral began distributing fruits and pastries to students of the parochial school on December 6, the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas, who, as we remember, thanks to the widespread musical work written in his honor, began to be revered in the West as a patron saint children. Soon this tradition spread far beyond the borders of the German city. In houses at night, remembering ancient legends, they began to hang specially made shoes or stockings, so that Nicholas would have somewhere to put his gifts, which over time had already noticeably outgrown the scope of buns and fruit, although he still sometimes cannot do without them. It is worth noting that the saint’s memorial day falls on the Nativity Fast (Advent), when everyone is looking forward to the Joyful Feast of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word and the beginning of the New Year. Apparently, in connection with this, the Bishop of Myra, entering houses at night, brings gifts to obedient children and rods to naughty children, thereby reminding them of the need for good behavior. Therefore, long before the holiday, the children try not to play pranks, and parents diligently, at every opportunity, remind them of the rods, which can easily be received as a gift on December 6th. However, gifts are often accompanied by rods or a twig, wrapped in foil or painted in gold or silver paint. In some countries, the holy bishop does not hide and comes to houses not at night, but during the day in full liturgical vestments, and not alone, but with an angel and an imp. The head of this unusual company questions the young inhabitants of the house about their behavior, with the angel and the imp acting as a lawyer and a prosecutor, respectively, and then, based on the results of a kind of investigation, a gift is presented (or not).
The Reformation, which arose in the 16th century thanks to the speech of Martin Luther, excluded the veneration of saints from the liturgy of the new Churches. Along with their cult, the feast of St. Nicholas disappeared. But if it is easy to eradicate anything on paper, then fighting folk traditions is more than difficult. Therefore, in the so-called “Catholic” countries, the feast of St. Nicholas still remains, joyfully celebrated on December 6, and in Protestant countries, the miracle-working bishop has transformed into a slightly different character, still bringing gifts and joy to children. Thanks to all sorts of folk legends and traditions from different countries, St. Nicholas put on the mask of either the “Father of Christmas,” or “Grandfather Christmas,” or “Astrologer”! He was depicted as a gnome and an old man, and acquired various companions. And he moved from the Mediterranean city to Arctic Lapland.
Saint Nicholas came to North America, which played an important role in the history of the Christmas miracle worker, from Holland. In 1626, several Dutch ships, led by the frigate Goede Vrove, on the bow of which stood the figure of St. Nicholas, arrived in the New World. The seekers of fortune bought land from the Indians for $24 and named the village New Amsterdam (now this village is called New York). The Dutch moved the figurine of the saint from the ship to the main square. But bad luck, the inhabitants of the new land spoke not in English. And the phrase “Saint Nicholas” sounded like “Sinter Klass”, then, over time, the name of our character was transformed into “Santa Klass”, and a little later - into “Santa Claus”.
Dutch Sinterklaas
It seems that good old Santa Claus, giving gifts to good children and fulfilling their wishes, has existed since ancient times.
In fact, this is not entirely true - the progenitor of this fairy-tale character actually existed in ancient times, but the Santa Claus known to us in his current appearance was “born” by the standards of historical science recently - no more than 200 years ago.
The kind grandfather swam across the ocean twice before he became famous throughout the world. The real prototype of Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, a real character who lived in Asia Minor during Roman times and later became the archbishop of the city of Myra in the Roman province of Lycia.
Coming from a family of wealthy Christians, Nicholas devoted himself entirely to serving God and gave his inheritance to the church. In the Orthodox tradition, he is considered St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the patron saint of travelers and sailors, and a benefactor who gives gifts to children.
We know him well from the holiday of St. Nicholas the Winter on December 19, when obedient children find gifts from St. Nicholas under their pillows.
In Catholicism, there is a widespread legend about three dowry sisters who could not get married because of poverty and the only way for them was to go to a brothel - to sell themselves for money. Saint Nicholas found out about this situation and secretly threw a bag of gold coins to the two older sisters.
Their father found out about this and decided to track down the donor. The saint learned about the insidious plan and threw the bag of money down the chimney. The package landed safely in the youngest daughter's stocking, which was drying by the fire. It was this episode that formed the basis for the traditional idea of Santa Claus bringing gifts through the chimney on Christmas night and hiding from people.
This legend was very popular in the Netherlands and, together with Dutch settlers, crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Founded by emigrants from Holland, New Amsterdam after some time became New York, and the good grandfather from the fairy tales of the Old World took root in another society and acquired new legends and myths.
This is especially interesting because Puritan New England did not celebrate Christmas at all. Legends about Santa Claus existed in the form of oral tradition and were passed on as the population mixed from the descendants of the Dutch to new emigrants.
Only at the beginning of the 10th century, in 1809, a written mention of this character appeared.
American writer Washington Irving (“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” “Rip Van Winkle”), now considered the father of American literature, wrote “The History of New York,” where he talked about the veneration of Santa Claus during the existence of New Amsterdam. This marked the beginning of the popularity of this character.
The baton was picked up by Clement Moore, who wrote a poem about Santa Claus, and then the artist Thomas Nast first depicted him as we are used to seeing him today. It is believed that Nast portrayed himself in the guise of Santa - a cheerful, plump elderly man with a thick beard and a lush mustache.
Santa Claus received his final appearance in 1931 under the brush of Haddon Sundblom - it was a red suit and cap with white fur piping. It was in this guise that the good miracle worker crossed the Atlantic for the second time and returned to Europe to finally take possession of the entire planet.
The popularity of this hero among the general population began to be actively exploited by various trading enterprises in their advertising campaigns.
In Coca-Cola advertisements during the Christmas holidays, Santa still delivers drinks and gifts around the world, now not on reindeer, but on a large truck. Reindeer, elves and other supporting characters are always present in stories about Santa, helping him in all his good deeds.
It is very difficult to answer the question “Who is Santa Claus” unambiguously, because many nations have their own analogue of a kind grandfather, who brings gifts to obedient and well-mannered children in winter and lives somewhere far away at the North Pole.
For the French it is Pere Noel, for the Russians it is Father Frost, and for the Finns it is Joulupukki. All these characters have common features - they appear in winter, live somewhere far away on the edge of the world, are middle-aged, overweight and very kind.
It doesn’t matter what his name is - Santa or Grandfather Frost, what is more important is that with him joy, fun and hope for a happy future come into the house.
