Character history. Where does American Santa live? Country where Santa Claus lives.

As everyone knows, the real Santa Claus has lived far away on the Korvatunturi hill in Finnish Lapland since time immemorial.

There, in a protected place, there is his house and workshops, as well as storerooms with gifts and other household items. Only here, at any time of the year, you can meet not only Santa himself, but also his reindeer. During the Christmas period in the Arctic Circle, where the Main Post Office of Santa Claus and his office are located, everything is covered with white, white snow. It is here that a huge number of letters come from children from all over the planet. Here, in Finland, is located “Santa Park” - a real Santa Claus amusement park. Many residents of Finland are busy all year round helping Santa Claus in his difficult work.

It is interesting that although the Korvatunturi hill can be easily found on the map, only Santa Claus himself, his gnomes, and, of course, all his reindeer know the way to the house.

Korvatunturi is an unusual hill, where the gnomes can hear whether children, as well as adults, are behaving well. The gnomes listen carefully to who is doing what, and carefully record what they hear in huge notebooks. In the books, basically all good deeds are noted, but possible whims and cases of bad behavior that sometimes occur can also be mentioned. Shortly before Christmas and New Year, gnomes look into the windows of houses where children live and check the situation on the spot.

Before Christmas, Santa Claus looks through the entries in the big books and prepares wonderful gifts for everyone who has been obedient. If there are bad behavior marks next to someone's name, Santa Claus may only bring that child a bunch of sticks for Christmas. Fortunately, such cases have not been observed in recent years, since everyone was very obedient.

You know, in the homeland of Santa Claus, in Finland, he himself brings gifts home to obedient children. Entering the house, he once again asks a clarifying question: “Well, are there any obedient children here?” Children sing some Christmas song to Santa Claus and promise to be obedient next year too. Then Santa Claus distributes gifts, and the children themselves help him with this. In many countries, Santa Claus brings gifts to children at night when they are sleeping. Adults give gifts to children in the morning, and Santa Claus is already long on his way back to the Korvatunturi hill.

Santa Claus Village

And so, Santa Claus and his gnome assistants live on the Korvatunturi hill. Still, he decided a long time ago that he wanted to meet people not only on Christmas and New Year. Thus, after careful study of the situation, he decided, with the help of his good friends, to build a house and village near the city of Rovaniemi, at the place where the road leading north crosses the magical Arctic Circle.

Santa Claus wanted an international airport near his village where his many friends could fly to meet him. He also wished that there would be a city nearby where guests could stay in comfortable hotels and get to know the life of people and nature in the North with the help of good guides. These conditions were successfully met in the Arctic Circle, in Rovaniemi.

Santa Claus Village is located just eight kilometers from the city of Rovaniemi to the north. Exact geographical coordinates: 66º33’07” north latitude and 25º50’51” east longitude, on the Arctic Circle.

Today, in Santa Claus Village, he has his own chamber, where he has an office and premises for receiving visitors. By the way, Santa Claus brought there several large notebooks from the Korvatunturi hill. Books can be viewed on the shelf in the ward, but outsiders are prohibited from looking into them. Only Santa Claus himself and his gnomes can do this.

The Village also houses Santa Claus's General Post Office, which is perhaps the most interesting in the world. In addition, Santa Claus has his own “Shopping Center” - many small shops offering beautiful handicrafts and high-quality souvenirs. There are cafes and restaurants, places for themed events. In winter, the village of Santa Claus has a special fairy-tale atmosphere, when everything around is covered with fluffy white snow, and numerous lanterns and Christmas garlands illuminate the space of the village, emphasizing the mystery of the blue twilight of the polar night. One of the main assistants of Santa Claus is the “Santa Claus Greeting Center”, which takes care of postal correspondence together with the Santa Claus Main Post Office.

Not far from Santa Claus Village is Santapark. This is a Christmas cave built inside a mountain. There, guests of Santa Claus can get an idea of ​​what his real home is like, which is located in the north of Lapland, on the Korvatunturi hill.

Important addition

Santa Claus is very pleased with his village and therefore visits there almost every day. You can meet him there at any time of the year. Yes, Santa Claus comes to the Village from the Korvatunturi Hill on reindeer. Someone was lucky enough to once see him in a reindeer sleigh on the way from there. It is interesting that for this “local message” Santa Claus only needs one reindeer harnessed to a small sleigh, and when he delivers gifts for Christmas and New Year, the gnomes equip a large sleigh for the journey and harness a large number of more experienced reindeer. The city of Rovaniemi can be considered the city of Santa Claus. Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists come here to meet Santa Claus and admire the fabulous nature of Lapland in winter and summer. In summer, the midnight sun is especially amazing. For example, the supersonic airliner Concorde has been delivering passengers to Santa Claus Airport for 20 years.

Santa Claus's Helpers

In Lapland, and throughout Finland, there are many small businesses and large companies that are partners of Santa Claus.

Of these, it is worth mentioning such companies as air services, rail and road transport, taxis, hotels, trading companies, manufacturing information technology enterprises, telecommunications services, thematic program companies and many others. Local and state radio and television channels and print media play a special role. For example, Santa Claus Television publishes interesting things on the Internet. The Rovaniemi Theater puts on Christmas musicals at Christmas, folk dance groups help Santa Claus at many events, and individual artists depict many interesting things from the life of Santa Claus. A technology park for high-tech companies has been built near Santa Claus Village and its airport. In all official documents, Rovaniemi Airport is called Santa Claus Airport.

In addition, many educational institutions from preschool to university cooperate with Santa Claus. The Rovaniemi High School operates a Santa Claus school, where Santa Claus assistants and specialists in ceremonial events are trained. Dwarf schools for children are organized in many tourist centers. Santa Claus tirelessly cares about the well-being of not only his reindeer, but also all other four-legged animals. For example, at the Ranua Zoo, Christmas is celebrated by all its polar inhabitants - from the little lemming to the fluffy lynx. Although at this time the bears, unfortunately, sleep in their dens and cannot take part in the merry Christmas celebration.

There are several places in Lapland where Santa Claus herds his reindeer - reindeer play a starring role in Santa Park, Salla Reindeer Park and Vuotso Reindeer Village.

Neither Christmas nor New Year's calendars contain such a name - Santa Claus. Where did this character come from? December 19 (new style) for Christians is the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, bishop from the city of Myra in Lycia in Asia Minor. This saint, one of the most revered in the Christian world (in Germany, special veneration of St. Nicholas began in the 6th century, in Rome - in the 8th century), and became the prototype of the Western European and North American New Year and Christmas character Santa Claus.

Actually, there is nothing fabulous in the life of St. Nicholas. There are wonderful things. Several episodes are known more than others: how he saved the city of Myra from hunger, how he pacified a storm with prayer and did not allow a ship sailing to Palestine to perish, how he saved three governors who had been slandered by attackers from imminent execution, and finally, how St. . Nicholas, while still a priest in the city of Patara, helped one impoverished man get his three daughters married. Let's take a closer look at the latter. Unable to give a dowry for his daughters, the desperate father was going to send them to a brothel (which was unheard of at that time) or even turn his own home into one. The poor girls began to pray fervently, and so the Lord sent priest Nicholas to help them. The Wonderworker passed by this man’s house three times and left a bag of gold at the doorstep. And the father was able to marry off all his daughters one after another. This episode formed the basis of the Western tradition of leaving gifts at the door at Christmas, in specially hung stockings (In some places it is customary to leave stockings and boots by the fireplace, through the chimney of which Santa Claus or his assistant comes into the house).

Grateful memory of how St. Nicholas helped people in their troubles
and sorrows, stood up for the offended, shared everything he had, crossed boundaries
Byzantium, became one of the important themes of European Christmas

The custom of giving gifts to children has been known in Germany since the 10th century. Then in monastery schools, on the day of St. Nicholas, bishops' games were held: one of the students dressed up as a bishop and distributed gifts to classmates. In the 16th – 17th centuries, this custom was finally consolidated in Germany. Now Saint Nicholas doesn’t just go from house to house with a bag of gifts: he checks children’s knowledge of the catechism and the most important prayers and only after that gives gifts. Another custom is known: on the eve of St. Nicholas Day, children pray fervently, and a special notebook is kept to record the prayers (originally it was a decorated tablet on which notches were made). And in the evening, children put their shoes out the door, in which they find gifts in the morning. Gradually in the West, especially in Protestant regions, the religious meaning of the image of St. Nicholas faded into the background and was reduced to a simple wizard (Sinter-Klaas, Santa Claus, etc.). However, not everywhere this image is identified with the New Year's character Santa Claus, Papa Noel or Weinachtsmann.

Image of St. Nicholas on an ancient Catholic miniature

Images of St. Nicholas on an Orthodox icon

Since the 30s of the twentieth century, Santa Claus has been entrenched in the public consciousness as a brand of the Coca-Cola company. Since then, in a number of countries he has finally merged with Father Christmas. Santa's uniform was also unified: red caftan, pants and a cap with white trim. Previously, a "Father Christmas" could wear a deep hat with a wide brim, knee-length pants and smoke a pipe, or be a fat-cheeked old kobold, as in Clement Moore's poems "A Visit to Father Christmas."

Unfortunately or fortunately, in the minds of most modern children, the current Santa Claus is in no way connected with the image of St. Nicholas. What is much sadder is that with the “cocacolization” of the symbols of Christmas, the holiday itself in most European countries has lost its Christian meaning for many and turned into one big shopping campaign.

Hello, friends! What to do if newfangled routes for celebrating the New Year under palm trees on the seashore and ocean no longer tempt you. And I want a real Russian winter with all the winter activities: real frosts, fluffy snow, skating, sledding and skiing, building snow fortresses and towns and a cheerful New Year celebration under a real Christmas tree in a real forest.

But there is a way out: you need to go not just anywhere, but to Lapland - the kingdom of the Snow Queen and to the habitat of Santa Claus. In one of the articles, I already talked about traveling with children and how, having visited this country, it is impossible not to visit where Santa Claus lives. This amazing place is located far to the north beyond the Arctic Circle, 9 kilometers from the capital of Lapland - Rovaniemi in the village of Joulupukki (Joulupukin Pajakyla).

Mysterious and unique Lapland

Lapland, an inexplicable and fabulous province located on the territory of Finland, with fantastic nature and unique culture, is, of course, close to us in many ways. We are also accustomed to severe frosts, like the Finns, and we have loved winter fun since childhood.

But what you can see in Lapland will undoubtedly evoke many unexpected emotions. Crowds of tourists come to these places with primeval nature with forests and mountains, many rivers and lakes, clean air, and the polar night every New Year, dreaming not only of enjoying the local beauties, but also of returning once again to a distant fairy tale from childhood.

And for children, this is an opportunity to see in person those places about which so much is already known from the books of Hans Christian Andersen and the Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf. The adventures of Kai and Gerda, a reindeer who comes from Lapland, in the country of the Snow Queen and the characters from the book “Nils's Wonderful Journey with the Wild Geese” in Lapland are the first acquaintance with this northern country, which, without a doubt, requires continuation.

And we will begin our journey with Rovaniemi

The history of this northern city, the largest in area in Europe, begins in the 15th century. It is located 8 kilometers from the Arctic Circle, 800 kilometers from Helsinki and 1025 kilometers from St. Petersburg. It is this northern city that becomes the most beloved resort in Lapland by children and adults in winter.

And it's easy to explain. These are exactly the places where the beloved New Year's character, Santa Claus (in Finnish - Joulupukki), spends most of his time worrying about and preparing for the Christmas holidays. After all, it is here, just a few kilometers from the city, that the famous Santa Claus village is located.

It is clear that Santa Claus is almost the same as ours, but in a European manner. But the history of its origin is somewhat different. It is assumed that Saint Nicholas became his prototype: Santa - “saint”, Klaus - “Nicholas”. During his lifetime, this common Christian saint secretly helped poor people and children. And the tradition of giving gifts on St. Nicholas Day later transformed into the tradition of giving gifts to children at Christmas. And this is what modern Santa Claus does with great pleasure.

According to legend, Santa's permanent home and secret workshop, where Christmas gifts are prepared for children, are located on Mount Korvatunturi. But, since rumors began to spread among people about his secret place of residence, Santa Claus, in order not to be completely declassified, decided to appear to people and chose a place for this on the Arctic Circle not far from Rovaniemi.

Here in Lapland, in a small village, Santa established his working residence, which is now known throughout the world. He comes here every day, receives visitors from all over the world, reads letters from all over the world (which can be sent to: Santa Klaus, 96930 Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi, Finland), and from them he learns what children dream of and what gifts they waiting for Christmas.

But in fact, Santa Claus Village appeared back in 1950. And this was connected with the visit of the wife of the American President Eleanor Roosevelt to these places. For her arrival, a small wooden house was built as Santa's temporary home. It has survived to this day and is located near Santa Claus's office.

That’s how, somewhere far beyond the Arctic Circle, among forests and snow sparkling in the sun, Santa’s village appeared many years ago. The good news is that such a wonderful place exists and you should definitely visit it at least once in your life.

Santa Claus Village Websites:

Where Santa Claus lives, childhood lives

This is the kingdom of Santa Claus, where reality and fairy tales are so closely intertwined, and on its territory, inhabited by fairy-tale characters, such amazing events take place that they make you believe in the reality of what is happening and in the possibility of miracles and happiness not only for small children, but also for adults aunty and uncle.

The village of Santa Claus is the office and post office of Santa Claus, Santa Park, cottages for tourists, many shops and restaurants, and a small deer farm. In winter, numerous slides are built on the square, from which you can ride for free. Near the village there is another amusement park - Arctic Winter World.

According to one of the hypotheses (I don’t know, scientific or also fairy-tale), the place for this magical village was not chosen at all by chance: since it is in this place that the earth’s crust is very thin, then with the help of special mechanisms Santa Claus learned to control time and in particular, slow down the speed of rotation of the Earth. And this little trick helps Santa visit everyone in the world on the eve of Christmas in one night and give everyone gifts.

The village is small, but not small either. In the center of the Village there is a large Christmas tree decorated with small flags from different countries of the world. Everything around you sparkles in festive attire, which immediately improves your mood.

Entrance to the village is free, but, of course, you have to pay for various services.

Santa Claus's office is the main attraction of the village

You can get to Santa's office in the office through a long fairy-tale corridor. The famous wizard himself and his constant assistants, the gnomes, joyfully greet the guests, and in the minutes allotted for the visit, you should try to tell Santa Claus about what is most important to you in this life, make a wish and sit next to him.

This is not difficult to do, since Santa has studied many foreign languages ​​well, including Russian. Santa gives gifts to good and obedient children.

Entrance to Santa's house is free. But if you want to capture yourself in a photo next to Santa Claus, then you will have to pay his assistants - gnome photographers - for this.

Playful and restless gnomes and elves help Santa entertain the guests.

In addition, they work in Santa's workshop, where they make amazing gifts for children.

Santa is a tireless worker himself. It receives guests every day, including weekends and holidays. Office opening hours depend on the time of year and holidays (in December, opening hours are longer and there may be queues).

Official website of Santa Claus office: santaclauslive.com

Santa Claus Mail

This is a must visit place after Santa's office. Almost half a million tourists come here every year.

Here you can order a letter from Santa Claus anywhere in the world. The cheerful elves will help you compose and send such a letter in the desired language (options are offered in 11 languages). Letters from children with their requests and wishes come here from different parts of the planet, which the elves parse and then pass on to Santa. Interesting statistic: Since 1980, Santa has received more than 16 million letters.

From Santa's post office you can send a Christmas card with good wishes to your family and friends. All letters and cards are stamped with Santa's special seal and are immediately sent to their destination. Here you can buy various souvenirs and postcards.

Santa Claus' post office, like the office, is open all days of the year.

There is another attraction in the Village, which is associated with an interesting ritual that everyone who visits this place likes to perform: crossing the geographical and, to some extent, fabulous border of the Arctic Circle, depicted as a white line with the inscription “Arctic Circle”.

The most “brave” (that is, those who cross the Arctic Circle) will receive a solemn presentation of commemorative certificates in memory of this event.

There is another notable geographical landmark in the village: a large pillar with direction signs for the largest cities in the world.

Santa Claus Post Websites:

• santagreeting.net

Santa Park - the magical cave of the elves

Near the Village there is an underground (at a depth of several tens of meters) Santa Claus Park, inhabited by cheerful elves. This structure is in the form of a series of tunnels that are laid right inside the rock. Before you are greeted by elves and fairy tale characters, you have a long descent ahead of you.

Santa Park's Cave of Adventure has a variety of fun and varied activities for everyone. Children especially have fun here. At the elf school you can master all sorts of elven wisdom and learn how to sign Christmas cards in calligraphy.

And those who especially distinguished themselves will even be given a diploma on successful completion of the young elf course.

In Mrs. Claus's bakery and kitchen, you can not only try delicious gingerbread cookies, but also learn how to make them yourself. Besides, this kind woman has so many sweets in store.

It wouldn’t hurt to visit Santa Claus in his office, or visit the Elven Post Office again (in case not all your friends have received postcards yet).

And the kingdom of the Ice Princess (not scary at all, rather the opposite) will simply surprise you with sculptures of northern animals and fairy-tale characters in the Ice Gallery.

You can also go on a fun journey with the elves on the magical “Seasons” train, play in a huge ball filled with snowflakes, or on the Angry Birds playground.

The annual colorful costume show will add to the long list of amazing adventures.

Delicious food awaits everyone who is hungry in the underground cafe, and those who did not have time to buy gifts for their relatives can do so in the local shops and souvenir shops.

Santa Park opening hours:

Santa Park is not open every day, but only during certain periods.

From 9 to 30 November 2019 – daily from 10:00 to 17:00. From December 1, 2019 to January 5, 2020 - daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (December 24 - from 10:00 to 16:00). From January 6 to January 11, 2020 – daily from 10:00 to 17:00 (January 11 – from 10:00 to 15:00).

Santa Park website: santapark.com

Cost of tickets to Santa Park for 2019-2020:

Unlike free entry to the Village, entry here is paid.

• From 9.11.2019 – 30.11.2019: adults – 34€, children (3–12) years old – 28€
• From 1.12.2019 – 21.12.2019: adults – 35€, children (3–12) years old – 29€
• From 12/22/2019 – 01/11/2020: adults – 36 €, children (3–12) years old – 30 €.

Children under 3 years old can enter Santa Park for free. The price of the ticket, which is valid for two consecutive days, includes all the entertainment in Santa Park, and you can buy tickets at the ticket office from the elf.

Another wonderful place for children and their parents is located very close to the village of Santa Claus. But this amusement park is only open in winter - from early December to late March.

And every year this complex, which consists of a unique igloo hotel, slides for children and adults in fantastic lighting, a cafe and bar, beautiful sculptures, is rebuilt from snow and ice.

Everyone, from young to old, enjoys sledding and cheesecake rides down the ice slides.

You can conquer more and more slides all day long for a single entrance fee to the amusement park.

And after riding, you can take a break. The Ice Cafe or Bar will offer you delicious berry drinks - for children, and something stronger for adults. And all this in ice-cold glasses.

For a more complete experience of the Ice World, daredevils can spend the night in a sleeping bag in one of the ice-decorated snow rooms at the Arctice Igloo Hotel.

There are no other zoos in the world located this far north.

It is located approximately 80 kilometers (or an hour's drive) from Rovaniemi. More than 200 different animals and about 30 species of birds live here, including polar and brown bears, wolves and, of course, reindeer.

Excellent conditions have been created for the animals: spacious enclosures, good feeding and care. The zoo stretches out in a long strip, about 2.5 km, in the forest. Therefore, children can borrow a stroller or sled for free at the entrance to the zoo. Children usually enthusiastically prefer sleds.

In addition to the zoo, you can also visit the children's fairy-tale park – the “Mur-mur” castle (or the castle of the elves), where gnomes and elves make Christmas gifts for children, where you can enjoy delicious sweets from the local confectionery factory “Fazer” or a rare northern berry - cloudberries.

The zoo is open daily. Opening hours and ticket prices depend on the season. You can travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua by car or bus.

Ranua Zoo official website: ranuazoo.com

Ranua Zoo opening hours:

• From September 1 to May 31 – from 10:00 to 16:00
• From June 1 to August 31 – from 9:00 to 19:00

Cost of visiting the zoo:

From 01.10 – 09.12 and from 11.01 – 31.03:

• For adults – 15€
• For children 4-14 years old – 13.50€
• For pensioners – 14€
• Family ticket – 51€
• For students – 13.50€

From 10.12 – 10.01:

• For adults – 18.50€
• For children 4-14 years old – 16€
• For pensioners – 17€
• For students – 16€
• Family ticket – 59€

From 1.04 - 30.09:

• For adults – 17€
• For children 4-14 years old – 14€
• For pensioners – 14.50€
• For students – 14€
• Family ticket – 51€

For children under 4 years old, visiting the zoo is free.

What else can you do in Lapland?

You can’t leave these places without riding in reindeer and dog sleds or on powerful snowmobiles.

More information about this can be found on the websites:

• wildlifesafaris.fi
• gulo.fi

There is a reindeer farm near Santa Claus's office in winter.

It is small, but sufficient for organizing wonderful sleigh rides pulled by reindeer.

And, of course, you will be very lucky if you manage to admire, according to eyewitnesses, the extraordinary beauty of the Northern Lights.

The timing of this inexplicable natural phenomenon is difficult to predict. But still, suddenly you find yourself in the right place at the right time.

Where to live and how to get there?

There are no problems with accommodation or transportation in these places. Despite all the harshness of these places, the conditions for tourists here are excellent. You can stay on vacation in a hotel or in a separate comfortable and cozy cottage.

The city has a railway station, and just 10 kilometers from the city and 2 kilometers from the village of Santa Claus is Rovaniemi International Airport.

Cheap flights to Rovaniemi

From the center of Rovaniemi to Santa Claus Village there is a regular bus service “Santa’s Express” (route no. 8), the trip takes approximately 20-30 minutes. The cost of a one-way ticket per person is 3.80 €. A taxi from the center to the village will cost several times more – approximately 25 €.

And for complete immersion in the local atmosphere, you can get from the city to Santa Claus Village by reindeer or dog sled.

And if you want to celebrate the New Year as a family, in a cozy house by the fireplace in a fabulous atmosphere, there is no better place than fabulous Lapland.

A trip to Finland is also good because we have a common border with this country. Therefore, the opportunity to travel to Finland from the northwestern part of our country is very simplified. For example, from St. Petersburg you can go there by different means of transport.

The easiest way is to get to Helsinki by high-speed train “Allegro” or by car, bus, plane or even ferry. You can also get from Russia by bus from Murmansk and Kandalaksha. Those who live in the central part of Russia can use the services of the branded Moscow-Helsinki train “Lev Tolstoy”.

The second advantage of this tourist destination is the relative ease of obtaining a visa. The Finns willingly give visas to Russian tourists.

Don't forget to take warm clothes with you! Happy holidays to you!

The main character of Christmas is, of course, Santa Claus or Father Christmas. The Santa Claus we know today combines many legends and stories that have undergone some changes over time. The legend about him leads us to ancient times, to King Holly. He sat on a goat with a healing cup in his hand and symbolized abundance.

Since the 17th century, he was first mentioned as a "Yule elf" with a large nose and white beard, as well as a red cap on his head. He came down through the chimney when everyone in the house was asleep and gave gifts to obedient children.

The appearance of the name Santa Claus is also associated with the pagan character - Old Nick (nick - “spirit”), who annually performs various pranks to mock people. And in early Christianity, the image of the Yuletide elf was associated with St. Nicholas, a 9th-century bishop. Later, the Yule elf, Old Nick and Saint Nicholas united, taking on the appearance of Santa Claus.

Nicholas was later canonized and is now known in the Christian world as Saint Nicholas the Pleasant. In the Orthodox Church, Saint Nicholas is considered the patron saint of travelers. The Roman Catholic Church honors Saint Nicholas as a saint who helps children and the poor. Saint Nicholas has become the main saint to whom children pray. December 6 is the name day of St. Nicholas.

However, Santa Claus is not his only name, although it is the most common. In Germany he is Santa Nikolaus (St. Nicholas), in Finland - Iolupukke, in Italy - Babbo Natale, in France - Père Noel, in Norway - Yletomte, in Russia - Father Frost, etc. But he has one mission - to give children gifts for Christmas.
Santa's Companions

At first, Santa moved on foot, and was accompanied by one elf assistant, dressed in green clothes and a cap. Then, in the 19th century, the writer and poet K. Moore became concerned with the problem of their transport and came up with a magic sleigh drawn by white reindeer. Later, the number of Santa's elf helpers increased; they help Santa deal with gifts and are certainly dressed in red caps that they inherited from their predecessor.
Stockings over the fireplace

According to legend, Santa Claus flies on Christmas night in his magical sleigh over sleeping cities and, descending through the chimney into houses, leaves gifts for children in stockings, socks or shoes, which they specially leave under the tree or hang over the fireplace.

This symbol was also introduced into use by K. Moore, in the poem “The Night Before Christmas.” But there is another story about this custom.

One day, a family was preparing to celebrate Christmas. But they were so poor that they could not afford to buy a tree under which Santa could place his gifts. And the sad children went to bed, not hoping for gifts, but the next morning they still found them in stockings hung by the fireplace to dry. The children were very happy, and the custom of hanging socks over the fireplace remains to this day.

The children always wanted to know where he comes from and where he spends the whole year from Christmas to Christmas and where he gets his gifts. From these questions grew the legend that Santa lives at the North Pole, where his gift warehouse is located.

But in 1925, there were no reindeer pastures at the North Pole and newspapers reported that Santa Claus actually lived in Finnish Lapland. "Uncle Marcus", Marcus Rautio, who hosted the popular program "Children's Hour" on the Finnish state radio, revealed a great secret in 1927: Santa Claus lives in the Lapland korvatantura - "Ear Hill"

The hill, which is located right on the east coast of Finland, resembles a rabbit's ears but is actually Santa Claus's ear, with which he listens to the behavior of children from all over the world. Santa has his helpers, a group of elves who have their own history in Scandinavian legends.

Santa Claus is a character who has migrated from fairy tales to reality. Children and teenagers believe in him, and adults resort to his help. The existence of the hero explains the unusual events that occur during the New Year holidays. A grey-bearded old man in a traditional red suit takes care of children and prepares gifts throughout the year. Surprises placed under the tree on New Year's Eve are expected by kids no less than birthday presents. Relationships with a fictional character are built on faith in him and in miracles.

History of appearance

It's hard to believe that Santa Claus is a real person. He lived in ancient times, and his homeland was called not Lapland, but the Lycian Worlds. These are lands located in the territory of present-day Turkey. Mentions of the character date back to 253 AD. The citizen's name is Saint Nicholas. He worked in the rank of bishop, was known as a respectable person and was respected for his faith. Having savings, Saint Nicholas shared with those in need and helped them to the best of his ability. Sailors, merchants and bakers considered him a patron, and children doted on the good hero.

According to tradition established in the 10th century, December 6 was the day of distribution of gifts at the Cologne Cathedral. The custom was quickly adopted in other cities, associating it with the famous St. Nicholas. In Russia the hero's name is .

In the 19th century, American Clement Moore created a poem called "The Night Before Christmas, or the Visit of St. Nicholas." It told the story of the grandfather going from house to house to give gifts to children who had behaved well all year. The character's name - Santa Claus - is associated with a generous donor.

By 1840, almost everyone in the New World had an idea who Santa Claus was. In 1863, artist Thomas Nast used the image of the old man in political cartoons. Subsequently, he described the life of a wizard in illustrations. Since then, it has been generally accepted that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, and his residence accommodates many elves who help make gifts for children.

According to legend, Santa has a house where he lives and works. Here he makes entries in a book of deeds of children from all over the world, assessing who was obedient and who was naughty. It is curious that the hero was originally depicted as an elf, but over time the appearance became more human and similar to that which can be seen in modern images of the character.

Biography

Throughout the year, Santa prepares for the main holiday to pamper children with long-awaited gifts. On the eve of the holiday, he gets into a sleigh drawn by reindeer and flies across the sky to different countries, delivering gifts. Grandfather comes down the chimney into each house, leaves surprises under the tree and treats himself to cookies. Having completed the work, he goes home and again gives the task to the elves, who are collecting gifts for the kids.

Santa is wearing red pants and a jacket with a belt, a neat cap on his head, and high boots on his feet. In some images you can see that the grandfather is not averse to indulging in a smoking pipe. The old man's surroundings are peculiar, but his life story remains mysterious.

Unlike, who has a granddaughter, Santa Claus is lonely. Although some suggest that Mrs. Claus has a right to exist. The old man takes care of himself and has a weakness for milk and cookies, which are usually left for him under the Christmas tree. Among his friends are elves and deer, creatures with whom Santa easily finds a common language.

The magic sleigh is moved through the air by forest deer: Dasher - Swift, Dancer - Dancer, Prancer - Jumper, Vixen - Frisky, Comet - Comet, Cupid - Cupid, Donder - Thunder, Blitzen - Lightning and Rudolf. The last horse joined the herd by accident, overtaking the deer during a snowstorm. It is distinguished by a bright red glowing nose.

If we talk about the person who served as the prototype for Santa Claus, then his biography has more confirmation and known details. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor in 255-257. AD in Patara. The boy's parents died, leaving their property to the heir. He lived with his priest uncle and helped those in need. There is a known case involving the family of a poor man whose daughters could not marry due to lack of a dowry. The girls were going to be sold into slavery.

The night before the first transaction, the eldest daughter hung the stockings to dry after washing, and in the morning she found gold in them. Nicholas helped the girls find happiness. He came to the rescue secretly. After a while he was elected bishop. The hero's life was an example of faith, generosity and cordiality. After Nicholas's death, the tradition of giving gifts and leaving surprises in New Year's stockings continued.

Quotes and facts

In different countries, Santa Claus is represented in different images, and in different languages ​​of the world his name sounds differently. In Russia and Belarus this is Father Frost, in Austria - Sylvester, in Greece - Saint Basil, in Germany - Weinachtsman, in Colombia - Pope Pascual, in France - Père Noel. Holland is a country where Santa is called Sinterklaas. In each state, the wizard hides gifts in his own way. In Sweden, children find them near the stove, in Germany - on the windowsill, in Mexico - in boots, and in Spain - on the balcony. In one corner of the world, Santa Claus is a pagan god, in another he is a wizard, and in the third he is a forest dweller.

In Europe, it is generally accepted that the over-aged children's favorite lives in Lapland. Many families come to stay at Santa Claus's residence on the eve of the New Year. In America, grandfather has residence in Torrington, Connecticut and Wilmington, New York.

Americans made Santa Claus the idol of millions. Thanks to the famous advertising campaign of the Coca-Cola brand, the image of a lively grandfather was fixed in the minds of children and adults. It is not surprising that cartoon characters in the United States accurately voice the nuances of Santa's biography.

“Don’t you know the true meaning of Christmas? It's Santa's birthday!" - speaks .

In the cartoon “Santa's Secret Service,” the position of chief magician is passed down from generation to generation, and the main character declares with dignity:

“Many years ago, my father told me that being Santa was the best job in the world. He was right: I love my job!”

The kind image of a plump old man bringing gifts is cultivated in America and other countries, allowing children to believe in magic and fairy tales. Every New Year's film broadcast during the holidays contains philosophical quotes on this subject.

Film adaptations

Santa has become the hero of numerous animated projects and films. In comedies, parents of large families, notorious bandits, heroes who do not believe in the power of Christmas, and those who lack love and warmth during the cold winter holidays appear in the form of a New Year's wizard.

Filmmakers present Santa Claus as an ordinary family man in the 1994 film “The Santa Claus,” introduce the public to the character forced to play the role of a good wizard in the 2003 film “Bad Santa,” and offer to learn what a grandfather’s family might look like. The film “Fred Claus” tells about this. Santa's Brother" 2007 release. Thanks to the imagination of the directors, the hero of traditional legends appears in a modern form and remains a favorite of the public, regardless of the plot of the film.