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Happy Christmas!
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on December 07, 2017, 03:22:01 pm ---Your post inspired me to go research St. Nikolas and he was very loveable. How St. Nikolas morphed into Santa Claus is understandable language-wise but not imagery wise. I understand that he was Byzantine and was born in what is now Turkey.
--- End quote ---
Tell you what, I've gotten to wondering how the visit from St. Nicholas got transferred from December 6 to Christmas Eve. Was that unique to the United States and spread like McDonald's to the rest of the world?
It would seem the Christmas Eve visit was well known, at least in the New York region, by the time "A Visit from St. Nicholas" was published in 1823, otherwise readers would probably have been mystified. So when was the tradition established? Did the change originate with the Protestant Dutch settlers of New York, and did it have anything to do with anti-Catholic prejudice, since St, Nicholas was a Catholic bishop?
Our familiar image of St. Nicholas/Santa Claus really originated with the cartoonist Thomas Nast. I guess it was the poem that introduced the eight tiny reindeer?
Penthesilea:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on December 07, 2017, 08:17:07 pm ---Our familiar image of St. Nicholas/Santa Claus really originated with the cartoonist Thomas Nast.
--- End quote ---
Thomas Nast was a local from where I live! :D He was from Landau, the next town from me. My kids go to school in Landau and the yearly Christmas Market is called Thomas-Nast-Nikolausmarkt.
St. Nikolaus is Sinta Claas in Dutch. From there it's only a small step to Santa Clause, linguistically. But how he got transferred from Dec 6th to 24th/25th I don't know.
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on December 08, 2017, 01:30:20 am ---
Thomas Nast was a local from where I live! :D He was from Landau, the next town from me. My kids go to school in Landau and the yearly Christmas Market is called Thomas-Nast-Nikolausmarkt.
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Wow! I din't know that Thomas Nast was an immigrant to the U.S. I think perhaps it was before he "designed" Santa Claus he was also a political cartoonist. He was known for making cartoons about corrupt politicians in New York City.
Penthesilea:
I just checked: he was only six years old when he (with his mother) emigrated to the US.
He created Santa Claus and the elephant as symbol for the Republican Party. He did not create, but popularize, the donkey for the Democratic Party, Columbia and Uncle Sam.
--- Quote ---he was also a political cartoonist. He was known for making cartoons about corrupt politicians in New York City.
--- End quote ---
Yes, he is considered to be the "Father of the (political) American Cartoon".
Anyway, even though he was only six when he left Landau, people around here are very proud of him and consider him as one of them/us. :laugh:
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on December 08, 2017, 02:24:57 pm ---I just checked: he was only six years old when he (with his mother) emigrated to the US.
He created Santa Claus and the elephant as symbol for the Republican Party.
--- End quote ---
I forgot about the elephant! :laugh:
--- Quote ---Anyway, even though he was only six when he left Landau, people around here are very proud of him and consider him as one of them/us. :laugh:
--- End quote ---
He's still a home-town boy who made good. ;D
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