Jodi Summit
TOWER- While children today know Santa Claus as the giver of gifts, the origin of this tradition traces back to Saint Nicholas, born in early 300 AD, in Lycia, in Asia Minor (now the southern coast of Turkey).
“Our children are more into the receiving,” said Pauly Housenga, “but St. Nicholas was all about the idea of giving.”
At this month’s Tower Soudan Civic Club meeting, longtime club member Pauly Housenga shared her collection of St. Nicholas figures and books— spoke about the history of this saint and how the tradition of St. Nicholas Day (celebrated on Dec. 6) became the gift-giving extravaganza celebrated on Dec. 25.
Housenga, first became introduced to St. Nicholas by her friend Carol Myers in her hometown of Holland, Mich., where Housenga, who grew up in Tower, raised her family. Myers, who is considered an expert on St. Nicholas, runs the non-profit St. Nicholas Center (www.stnicholascenter.org), based in Holland, Mich. The center sponsors traveling exhibits, educational programs, and an online store devoted to telling the story of this saint, whose message has been eclipsed by the popularity of Santa Claus.
St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, sailors, innocents, and others in need.
Housenga said that introducing her children to St. Nicholas was a way to understand who the real Santa Claus was.
“We celebrate Christmas, the birthday of Jesus,” she said, “but somehow Santa Claus has taken it over.”
Relatively little is known from the historical record about St. Nicholas. He was born into a wealthy family that practiced Christianity. He was taught to give what he had to those who did not have, said Housenga. His parents died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still a child, leaving their wealth to their boy. Nicholas became a priest, and then a bishop in the early church.
“The main point of his life was giving to the poor,” said Housenga.
Legends tell tales of St. Nicholas’ generosity to the poor, as well as his importance to sailors. Classic St. Nicholas stories describe how he calmed the seas when a huge storm overtook the ship in which he was traveling to the Holy Land. Another story tells how he secretly left a bag of coins with his neighbor, to use as a dowry for his daughter. Without a dowry, his daughter might have been sold into slavery. He did this again for the second daughter in the family, and when it was time for the third daughter to be married, the father tried to spy and figure out who their benefactor was. To keep his giving secret, St. Nicholas is said to have climbed up on the roof, and tossed the bag of coins down the chimney, where the bag of coins safely landed in a stocking hung in the fireplace to dry.
The historic record does show his date of death, Dec. 6, 343 A.D., and that day became known as St. Nicholas Day.
St. Nicholas Day was celebrated in many countries throughout Europe. Children received small treats, chocolates, and oranges. In Holland, children put out their wooden shoes, filled with hay and carrots for St. Nicholas’ horses. In the morning, they found chocolate coins, chocolate candy or cookies shaped in the letter of their first name, and perhaps a small toy.
The Dutch brought this tradition with them to the new world. The Dutch “Sinterklaas” became Santa Claus in the English language. Then the influence of the classic children’s story, The Night Before Christmas, first published in 1823, popularized the idea of Santa Claus delivering gifts on his sleigh on Christmas Eve. The tradition slowly blossomed, along with the jolly fellow’s belly, and by the end of the 1800s, it had taken hold for good. Santa Claus took the form we recognize today after an annual series of Coca-Cola ads beginning in the 1920s and running until the 1960s, popularized the image of Santa Claus that most Americans recognize today. The Coca-Cola ads, themselves were based on illustrations originally produced for Harper’s Weekly in the late 1880s.
How to tell if
it’s St. Nicholas
Figures of St. Nicholas all share some common symbols, said Housenga. He is usually pictured wearing a mitered hat (bishop’s hat), his vestments often have a cross, and he is often pictured carrying a shepherd’s staff.
Years ago, she said, it was quite difficult to find a St. Nicholas figure, something she wanted to have in her home to use while telling her children the story of his generosity and giving.
From the first simple corn husk figure she found, her collection now is quite large. Housenga said one of her favorites is a piece she found in Tower, at a moving sale on a farm just outside of town.
“Lo and behold,” she said, “sitting on the fireplace was this heavy St. Nicholas…This one was so fun to find.” The figure, one of the largest in her collection, has the classic miter hat, and bishop’s vestments.
Housenga talked about the traditions that came over from Holland, where Sinterklaas, as he was called, would bring treats to children who had been good on St. Nicholas Day. Parents also warned children about Sinterklaas’ mischievous Moorish companion Zwarte Pete who would place coal in the shoes of children who had misbehaved. While the tradition of Nicholas’s companion has mostly disappeared, the idea of Santa leaving coal in a naughty child’s Christmas stocking still is part of many children’s worst fears.
Brenda Winkelaar, whose husband Karel grew up in Holland, said they have continued these traditions with their children and grandchildren.
“These traditions are important to him,” she said. “He remembers the parades held on Dec. 6. Zwarte Pete would come and scare the little kids, she said. The Winkelaars give chocolate letters to the children in their family, and also celebrate with the traditional gifts of fruits and nuts.
