HO, HO, HO... THE (USED TO BE) GREEN GIANT
The history of Santa and his slow evolution into the loveable, red suited old fellow we all recognise today
Written by Helly Green (Ex-Pupil)
As faces simultaneously manage to turn paler yet rosier in the horribly biting winter winds, all British citizens come into their own. Cold is what we do best: we may escape the polar temperatures of our dismal little island for a few weeks of the year, but eventually we know we will come running back to the safe, familiar frostiness. And in winter, with this predictable shimmy down the thermometer, comes the most legendary and commercialised holiday of the year. Deck the halls with boughs of holly people, 'cos it's Christmas time...
Daydreaming of the festive fun ahead, I pondered long and hard (ish) about what makes Christmas so special to me. And as my dear papa was lighting the fire, it hit me. The thought of an obese man throwing himself down my chimney and landing with a thud in my fireplace, to indulge me with presents that I don't really need and that will only make me more materialistic, was the most magical thought I'd had all year. We have a national, global even, giant obsession with Father Christmas for the fact that he personifies the very spirit of our beloved holiday. His smiling eyes urge you to withdraw your outstretched hand from the unfortunate sibling you were about to slap; his bulging belly reminds you of a kindly relative in need of Weight Watchers; and his ho-ho-hoing makes you want to join in and laugh at the fact that you have been kicked out of your own bedroom because your entire family has descended on your not-very-spacious house and there is just not enough room for little old you. Eh hem, well maybe. But then I got to wondering what happened over the years to make Father Crimbo the stand-up guy he is today.
Because of course, 'Santa Claus' derives from 'Saint Nicholas'; a serious man in the bible, and a far-flung image from the one in our minds. He was the saint of a province in ancient-day Turkey, and he was thought to be a worker of miracles. Ahh, so perhaps this was the inspiration for a man who can magically defy gravity with a home made sleigh and some hyper reindeer. Then, having searched the trusty Wikipedia, I discovered that Santa evolved from a Christian Saint, to a strange man with a lazy eye. I am referring here to the Germanic Pagan God 'Odin', who led great hunting parties in the sky on an eight legged horse, in the season of 'Yule'. Are these the origins of Rudolph and lovely chocolatey Yule logs? When the Dutch colonised America all those years ago, old Odin hopped across the pond with them and that is why Americans also feature Santa so much in Christmas too. And it's the Dutch we can thank again for his fluffy white beard and mahoosive red coat. May I draw your attention to the picture below, which will explain all...
As you can see, he is definitely dressed in red and is sporting a wonderfully voluptuous fountain of facial hair that is not easily ignored. The only difference is he's a Bishop. It seems that the Americans got rid of the religious uniform and simplified it all down a bit. And there we have it! In essence, we have our Santa Claus, although there are elements about his story that weren't changed until as late as WW2. This was when Santa's little helpers mutated from a liberated Ethiopian slave (who became known as Saint Peter), to a whole load of tiny people with high pitched voices, colourful outfits and curly shoes. Or something like that anyway.
It seems so confusing to think that our national treasure has had such a long and muddled history, and that really he used to be nothing like the jolly fellow in unflatteringly, tight red attire that we all know and love today. But I don’t really care, he's here now and whether you believe in him or not, you've gotta love the big guy. I mean, how could you not when he brings such joy to the world?!
So that's it, the story of Santa, I'm off now to spread some festive love. Oh, and by the way, Coca-Cola didn't turn his outfit from green to red: it's true that he was originally green (like a Christmas tree maybe?), but many companies had employed artists to draw him as their mascot before Coke did, and it was the artists were the ones that turned him red. In fact, over the years he has been spotted in a variety of colours, ranging from gold to a rather un-festive brown – ew, no thanks. I'm quite happy with how he is, and he better not change between now and the 25th of December or I will personally go up to the North Pole, or Lapland, or wherever the hell he lives, and have strong words.
