THE SANTA CLAUS DECEPTION: READ AND LEARN!! THE COMMERCIAL SANTA CLAUS A number of figures are associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving of gifts. Among these are Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus (derived from the Dutch for Saint Nicholas), Père Noël, and the Weihnachtsmann; Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas; the Christkind; Kris Kringle; Joulupukki; Babbo Natale; Saint Basil; and Father Frost. The best known of these figures today is red-dressed Santa Claus, of diverse origins. The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch Sinterklaas, which means simply Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was a 4th-century Greek bishop of Myra, a city in the Roman province of Lycia, whose ruins are 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from modern Demre in southwest Turkey. Among other saintly attributes, he was noted for the care of children, generosity, and the giving of gifts. His feast day, December 6, came to be celebrated in Belgium & the Netherlands with the giving of gifts. Images of Santa Claus were further popularized through Haddon Sundbloms depiction of him for The Coca-Cola Companys Christmas advertising in the 1930s. The popularity of the image spawned urban legends that Santa Claus was invented by The Coca-Cola Company or that Santa wears red and white because they are the colors used to promote the Coca-Cola brand. In 1937, Charles W. Howard, who played Santa Claus in department stores and parades, established the Charles W. Howard Santa School, the oldest continuously-run such school in the world. In some images from the early 20th century, Santa was depicted as personally making his toys by hand in a small workshop like a craftsman. Eventually, the idea emerged that he had numerous elves responsible for making the toys, but the toys were still handmade by each individual elf working in the traditional manner. By the end of the 20th century, the reality of mass mechanized production became more fully accepted by the Western public. That shift was reflected in the modern depiction of Santas residence—now often humorously portrayed as a fully mechanized production and distribution facility, equipped with the latest manufacturing technology, and overseen by the elves with Santa Claus as executives and/or manager. An excerpt from a 2004 article, from a supply chain managers trade magazine, aptly illustrates this depiction: THE ORIGINAL SANTA CLAUS: The Joulupukki or Yule Buck is originally a pagan tradition... He is connected to Wōden of norse mythology and said to wear red leather pants and a fur trimmed red leather coat. On the Winter Solstice, going by the names of Jólnir (yule figure) and Langbarðr (long-beard), Wōden led the Wild Hunt accompanied by Thor driving his flying wagon drawn by goat bucks. The Joulupukki may also be a man turned into a goat-man on Christmas Eve, as seen in Elsa Beskows Peter and Lottas Christmas. There persists today in some parts of Finland the custom of persons dressing in goat costume to perform in return for leftover food after Christmas. Historically, such a person was an older man, and the tradition refers to him as a nuuttipukki. Today, Joulupukki looks and behaves mostly like his American cousin, but there are differences. Joulupukkis house and workshop are situated in the mountains of Korvatunturi, whereas his American counterpart resides somewhere near the North Pole. Another difference is that instead of sneaking in through the chimney during the late hours, Joulupukki knocks on the front door during Christmas Eve celebrations. Upon entering, he traditionally greets the household with Onko täällä kilttejä lapsia? (Are there [any] well-behaved children here?). He usually wears warm red robes (but with a broad band of blue near the fur), uses a walking stick, and travels in a sleigh pulled by a number of reindeer, which cannot fly like Santa Clauss fleet. In Lapland, his mount is a pulkka rather than a sleigh. The popular holiday song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, in its Finnish translation, Petteri Punakuono, has led to Rudolphs general acceptance in Finland as Joulupukkis lead reindeer. Joulupukki is often mentioned as having a wife, Joulumuori (Old Lady Christmas), but tradition says little of her. sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joulupukki en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus madamepickwickartblog/2010/12/the-claus-that-refreshes/ https://youtube/watch?v=SG6bFhwFKvU
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 21:13:30 +0000