Santa Claus’ Connection To Christianity
Santa Claus, largely seen today as the white-bearded, jovial figure wrapped in red who brings gifts to children around the world on Christmas Eve, is deeply intertwined with the Christian holiday season – but the connection between Santa and Christianity is a complex one, drawing from both myth and religious history.
The roots of Santa Claus can be traced back to the Fourth Century with the bishop of Myra, Saint Nicolas. Nicolas was a renowned figure for his charity and generosity. The legend states that he secretly gift-gave to the town’s poor families and even saved children in danger. From there, a fully-fledged character was shaped, with stories of his travels around the world, bringing presents to people, regardless of religious background.
In the 16th Century, Dutch immigrants in the United States reversed the “Sint Klass” or “Sinterklaas” pronunciation of his name and gave rise to its modern form, Santa Claus. It was also at around this time that St Nicolas became associated with Christmas. European folktale traditions made him a magical figure, able to fly across the world in a single night and deliver presents to each household. This supernatural quality was the reason for his connection to Christmas, and his kinship with Christianity was further enforced by the American media.
Until the 19th Century, the celebration of Christmas was largely quieter in the US than in Europe. The transformation of our perception of Santa was heavy influenced by writer Washington Irving. Irving was the first to popularise the image of Santa in the American psyche, drawing from Dutch traditions. American author Clement Clarke Moore furthered this development in his poem ‘A Visit from St Nicholas’, also commonly known as ‘T’was the Night Before Christmas’.
The Santa that we know today – wearing a red coat and arriving on Christmas Eve with presents delivered to each household – was particularly popularised in the 1930s by Coca-Cola, who depicted him in a warm, family-friendly image. Santa has since become an icon, alongside religious figures such as Jesus Christ, and his association with Christianity is now deeply embedded in Christmas celebrations.
Santa’s identity has evolved considerably over time, with traditions and media building upon the existing figure. While Santa has always been associated with gift-giving, the transformation of St Nicolas into the revered figure we now refer to as Santa, and his close relationship with Christianity, was developed from historical ideology and mass-marketing.
Father Christmas: Pagan to Christian
Unlike the relatively recent arrival of Santa Claus, the origins of Father Christmas, a.k.a ‘Old Man Winter’ or the ‘Christmas Lord’, are rooted far deeper in European paganism. Primarily celebrated in England, early tales of Father Christmas depicted the character as a jolly, good-natured figure who typically dressed in green, and brought with him the symbols of the seasonal celebrations – eating, drinking and merriment.
Similar to Santa, there was a ritual and superstition around Father Christmas: carols were sung, and the figure oftentimes represented the folklore of the festival, for example in the rituals of the Yule Log, which meant to bring health and luck for the coming year.
In later years, the First German Protestants retained and adapted the pagan figure of Father Christmas into a more Christian archetype. It was the 16th century figure of Saint Nicholas, however, that would be more popularised by the Victorians. This process of reinterpretation echoes in modern-day Christmas traditions, a combination of Christian and secular elements.
Because of the liturgical rituals of the Church and their relationship with the winter solstice, Christmas has an underlying quality of Christian practice; regardless of its pagan origins. This means that Father Christmas and Santa Claus have become intrinsically tied to Christianity.
Today, many children around the world team up their Christmas preparations by feeding to Father Christmas’s reindeer, or leaving him a mince pie and whisky. It could be argued that these traditions are a mixture of regional folklore, mixed with the ongoing Christian attachment.
Celebrating Santa In Christmas Liturgy
In Germany and the Netherlands, there are a variety of churches that hold Christmas services symbolising the two figures’ integration into Christian culture. Some churches even preach the story of Saint Nicholas on Christmas Day, instead of the Nativity.
It’s no surprise, then, that most Anglican carols and hymns contain references to Father Christmas and Santa Claus, showing their influence in both popular culture and in liturgy. By now, Santa has become part of the established Christmas story as we know it.
Baltimore’s St. John’s Episcopal Church, for instance, recounts the story of Santa Klaus and the Nativity of Jesus at its Christmas Eve service, called ‘A Service of Carols, Lessons and Santa Claus’. Staring with the traditional candlelit procession, the service stretches to include a family-focussed Nativity, which emphasises Santa Claus’s disappearance into the night, symbolically concluding the nativity.
This highlights another important function of Christianity’s attachment to Santa: providing a religious platform for families to pass down and explore the festive season’s traditions, as well as creating a source of charitable giving.
Charity: A Way To Connect Santa To Christianity
Charitable donations are one of the strongest links between Santa and Christianity. This can be seen in how Saint Nicholas was originally characterised, a figure of charity and generosity, which has continued in many of today’s secular forms.
According to World Vision, a non-profit federal government organisation serving the world’s most destitute, donations are one of the most ritualised aspects of Christmas. Many people use Santa’s spirit of generosity to both connect with and spread Christian values, donating to charities such as World Vision, which focus on helping those in poverty.
Organisations such as World Vision place a considerable focus on spreading the message of Christ’s love and equality to the places where it is needed most. This is a mission that Santa Claus is well placed to support, as it combines traditional festive joy and charitable giving.
One example of this approach is World Vision’s ‘Gifts of Joy’ service, which allows families to donate livestock to those in need. There is also ‘Gifts of Hope’, an online service that allows families to invest in the development of a community in need.
In general, the combination of Santa Claus and Christianity mean that those in need can receive material, moral and spiritual support during the festive season.
Santa Claus In Local Contexts
The figure of Santa also has varying presentations in different countries across the world. For example, in Mexico and parts of Central US, Santa is re-imagined as a figure of adult guidance, dressed in green and delivering presents on the eve of the Epiphany – a Christian holiday 8 days after Christmas Eve, also known as Three Kings Day.
In Scandinavian countries, the figure of Santa Claus is connected more with Father Christmas, and thus with the old Nordic religion, for example, in Norway’s tradition of the Yule Lads – 13 mischievous figures who bring gifts to the good children of the community.
Further afield, the Japanese interpretation of Santa Claus is a character named Hotei-osho. Carrying a bag full of good-luck charms, Hotei-Osho is believed to bring good fortune to children and adults alike.
Due to the travelling nature of Santa Claus, particularly during the colonial age, Christmas traditions have been exported worldwide and are still evolving to this day. To this end, Santa Claus has come to embody the customs of many different cultures and in most contexts, is connected to Christianity.
Corporate Rebrand Of Santa Claus
Due to the sheer commercialisation of Christmas and the figure of Santa Claus, there is a real risk of taking away from the religious connotations. Companies such as Coca Cola, fast food giants and internet sites have taken to using Santa for marketing purposes and selling him off as a corporate mascot, using him to promote their own brands.
The massive figure of Santa Claus is seen on billboards, in supermarket aisles and even in comments sections of popular websites. This has meant that his face has become all too recognisable, providing companies with a strong Christmas appeal, but at the cost of Santa’s status as a religious figure.
Due to his rebranding as a secular figure, the original attributes of Saint Nicholas’s benevolence, kindness and charity have become pushed aside by corporate needs, leading to Santa losing his connection with Christianity.
This rebranding has led to the family-focussed Christian message of Christmas being diminished – companies that use Santa Claus no longer reference his Christian origins and have instead sold his face as a symbol of festive merriment, presents and goodwill.
Conclusion: Santa Claus & Christianity
The story of Santa Claus has grown and developed in lockstep with Christian tradition, transforming from the story of Saint Nicholas to the jolly face of Coca-Cola’s Christmas campaigns. However, over time, the spiritual roots and message of Christmas have become lost. This is not to say that there is no clear connection between Santa Claus, his bearing gifts and the figure of Jesus all those centuries ago.
Today, Santa Claus stands as a global figure of hope and altruism, existing alongside his Christian counterpart, albeit with a far more encompassing message which no longer purely originates from a place of faith. Santa has become a multicultural figure, interconnected to both the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the pre-Christian festivities of many cultures.
