“Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen, when the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.” An evocative and favourite carol sung at Christmas. But why?
Saint Wenceslaus I was not a king but the Duke of Bohemia, now modern Czech Republic. He lived in the 10th century and was martyred by his brother. Famed for his piety and giving alms to children, widows and the poor, he was posthumously given the regal title of King. His saintly legend spread to England and hence ten centuries later we still honour him in song with the carol for St Stephen’s Day.
St Stephen’s Day, on the second day of Christmastide (for us Boxing Day), is a festive day across Europe. In the Valencia region of Spain, for example, the tradition is to eat with the mother’s side of the family on 25 December, and with the father’s side on the 26th. Meanwhile the Catalans celebrate the day eating canelons, a pasta tube filled with left overs from Christmas Day.
As commercialisation travels, so, little by little, the similarities in how Christmas is celebrated spread. But while Santa Claus makes his way down the chimney here on Christmas Day with the presents, in Spain it is the Three Kings – the Magi – who bring the gifts. In many towns their evening arrival on Twelfth Night (5 January) is greeted with vibrant processions and street celebrations. The following day, El Día de los Reyes Magos, (Epiphany, 6 January) is a quieter, family affair. This is when presents are exchanged in remembrance of Melchior, Baltazar and Gaspar, and their gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense.
Travelling through the sky
The Three Kings arrive by camel or elephant or horse, depending on which story you read. But we all know that Santa travels in a sleigh, driven by reindeer at great speed through the starry, night sky while snow lays, very prettily, on the ground.
Our Father Christmas has his origins in Sami and Norse culture. The Sami are a people living in the far north, across the snowy lands of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. In Sami myth, the Sun Goddess Beaivi travels the sky with her daughter, Beaivi-nieida in an enclosure covered by reindeer bones or antlers. Her journey commences when the seasons are at their coldest, initiating spring. And so the wheel of life commences again. It is from the “hvēl”, the Old Norse translation of “wheel” that we derive the other name for Christmastide: Yuletide.
Santa Claus has many names. Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or just plain Santa. Saint Nicholas, also known as Sinterklaas, was a 4th century Christian bishop, living in Myra, an ancient city in what is now Türkiye. Known for his generous gift of giving to the poor, he was later venerated and is celebrated on 6 December, Saint Nicholas Day. During the Middle Ages, children would receive gifts on the evening before. But the tradition was discouraged here during the Reformation – worship of saints being forbidden. However it continues in the Netherlands and Belgium. At many Dutch Sinterklaas Eve parties, the very last surprise in the Sinterklaas sack are chocolate initials. These edible gifts form the first letter of each person’s name and are a delight to give and receive.
The arrival of “ho, ho, ho”
It was during the Tudor period that the celebration of Father Christmas, and not Saint Nicholas, moved to 25 December. Then he was pictured as a large man in green or scarlet robes lined with fur.
There are many theories of how our rotund Santa, with his long white beard and his cheery “Ho, ho, ho” came about. Some suggest that the Norse god Odin (also known as Wōden), is the role model. Often depicted as a wise old man with a long white beard and magical powers able to ride through the sky, Odin certainly shares characteristics.
But it is to the United States that we look for the modern depiction of Father Christmas. In 1821 an anonymous illustrated children’s poem, “Old Santeclaus with Much Delight“, was published in New York. The poem describes Old Santeclaus with his reindeer and sleigh, travelling over snow and chimney tops on Christmas Eve rewarding good children and, somewhat cruelly, leaving a birchen rod for the wayward.
Another American poem, “A Visit from St Nicholas” from 1823, describes him as being “chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf” with “a little round belly”, that “shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly”. By the mid 1800s, the name Kris Kringle was a common variant across the US as was the hanging out of stockings on Christmas Eve.
So as we hang out our own Christmas stocking at the end of the bed, or near the fireplace, let us remember that our celebration is one that has passed through the ages and across lands. And that each of us, at home with our own family traditions, will be enhancing the story of the kings and saints at Christmas.
Share this article on Bluesky:
