Page 9 - December2001

December 2001 263

Junior Jfews -

FatheP ChPistrnas

by g6irh Fairman
Last year, the f irst Christmas card I received came from
Belfast" Ireland. It pictured a slirn, red coated figure, not our
stout, jolly Santa Claus and reindeer. It was "Father Cluistmas".
This title started me on ffrv research on the leeends of our
December holidav.
In Roman times, a holiday called Saturnalia was celebrated December 17 to
21.It was in honor of Safurn,, the god of agriculture.
In the city of Patara,, Lycia (now part of Tirrkey), Nicholas was born. He was
ordained a priest at age 19. One legend tells us that he gave three bags of gold to
the daughters of a poor nobleman, for their dowries, throwing thern through a rvin-
dor,ll He became known as the patron saint of children, students, bankers and
sailors. He died December 6, 343 ancl \\'as buried on the Isle of Myra.
In 592, when Christianity became the official religion of Rome, the legencl of
St. Nicholas came to England" During the Reformation of the 1500is, Protestants
substifuted a non-religious character for St. Nicholas - in England. Father
Christmas; in France, Pere Noel; in Italy, LaBefana; and in Gennany,
Weihnachtsmann.
The early Dutch settlers u'ho came to Arnerica called the gift giver Sinterklass
- in English this meant Santa Cllaus. In Sweden, he was called Jultornten, and in
Denmark, Julemissem.
Father Christmas \\rears a long red coat trirnmed with white fur,
ffi derived from the bishop's cape. Santa Claus wears a shorl coat r,vith
cap
""'5;:* 3##:: :Jl*i""J:::l
The first Christmas tree was seen tn Austria in the 17th century.
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg (Qr-reen Victoria's husband) set up a
ree in Windsor Castle in 1841 . The first tree in a church in
Ohio \\ras placed by Pastor Henry Schwan in 1851 in
Cleveland.
St. Francis of Assisi set up the first Nativity scene.
Santa Claus did not ah,r,'ays arrive with reindeer.
Washington In'ing in 1809 pictured him as a pipe smoking
firan u'ho rode across roof tops in a horse draw'n \ ragon.
Early pictures show one reindeer. Clement Moore in his
i poem 'A Visit from St. tr{icholas" gave hirn eight, and
named them. Thornas Nast in 1863 for Harper's Magazine
changecl some cletails. By 1886, it became the salne as today.
Father Christmas arrives in a surfer's rescue boat in Sidne% Australia. The
first C'hristmas cards date from the 1840's.