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We could argue that the most recognizable figure in America is not a famous actor, a pop star or an athlete, but rather timelessChristmas legend. That's right, we're talking aboutSanta Claus, a magic man whose name is also known as his face - and the long white beard that covers it. And when you addThe red suit, the bag of gifts swung on his shoulder and the fact that his favorite mode of transport is a sled powered byFlying reindeerIt is clear that Santa is quite undeniable. But even if it may seem similar around the world, with some exceptions, of course, in other countries, it responds to very different names. You probably know some of his aliases already, like St. Nick and Kris Kringle, but there are many more. So, join us on our trip to learn 13Different names for Santa Claus around the world!

The Dutch name for Santa-Sterklaas-Sort familiar sounds, right? This is because that's where we had the name of Santa Claus in the first place. Since the 11th century, the Netherlands celebrateSaint Nicolas, WhereSinterklass In Dutch, a bishop of the 4th century that was theSaint patron of children and sailors. And when the Dutch settlers arrived in the United States, they brought their customs with them - including the history of Saint Nick, which would have arrived by boat from Spain every year on December 5th.Leave treats for Dutch children in their shoes. In America,Sterklaas became Santa Claus.

And quite funny, our American version of the character finally won in Holland under the nameKerstman, or "Christmas man", which means that children in the Netherlands now have two gift visitors to give impatience every year!

The name Christkind can also bring you a distant bell. Maybe you've heard about theNuremberg Christkindlesmarkt, a famous holiday market in the south of Germany. Or maybe it's because it looks like Kris Kringle, where the name comes from. In the same way as the Americans turnedSterklaas in Santa Claus, they transformed the German nameChristkind inKris Kringle. Like the Dutch, the Germans had long associated Christmas with Saint Nicolas.

In the 15th century, however, the Protestant reformerMartin Luther Decided that he wanted Christmas to be more on Jesus Christ and less on the Catholic Saints. He created a new story in which the children received Christmas gifts from the baby Jesus-Christkind, which literally translates into "The child of Christ. "Because people have struggled to imagine a baby traveling around gifts, Christkind has finally come to represent an angelic girl who possessed what Christians believed to be qualities similar to Christ. To date, the people of Germany southern and its surrounding regions-fullyAustria and parts ofSwitzerland-Stuff to receive gifts from Christkind. But it's not the only Santa name is known in Deutschland.

In some parts of Germany, Santa Claus is more commonly calledWeihnachtsmann, or "Christmas man". Like Christkind, Weihnachtsmann has evolved as an alternative to St. Nicholas, considered as the most closely associated with the Catholic faith. But Christkind was always a name for religious significance, that non-religious Germans wanted to avoid, so they created a more secular figure,Weihnachtsmann, which is fundamentally aGerman adaptation From Santa Claus to America.

English can be the common language of the United States and England, but we all know that there are many differences in the way it is spoken. There are also different meanings behind certain words, depending on which country you are. In England, for example, fries are "chips", elevators are "elevators" and cookies are "cookies". The fracture of vocabulary is also obvious to Christmastime, when the people of the U.K. Celebrate the arrival ofSanta Claus, a name that is in Santa Claus, what are the "apartments" to the apartments-two different words, even meaning.

And yet, Santa does indeed come from a very differentset of traditions. When the German skaxons came to England in the fifth and 6th century, they personified in the winter in the form of a figure known as King Gel. And later, when the Vikings arrived, they brought their ideas on the Norse God Odin, considered a father of all the gods, who had a long white beard and which was known for the distribution of goods to the people he Justice worthy. When Santa Claus was born in the English tradition, it was built using pieces ofKing Frost and Odin, among other old figures.

Spain and many other Hispanophone countries - including Mexico, Argentina and Peru, also have a Santa Claus, a name than in Spanish translates intoSanta Claus. Despite the name being Spanish in the language, however, papá noel is definitelyAmerican Import, like the original holiday gifts in Spanish culture were thethree kings ("Los Reyes Magos"). It was believed to have gave to baby gifts in the nursery and, in this tradition, it is said that he will bring gifts again toSpanish children today.

Latin America is very similar to Germany: there is a Santa-papaá Noel secular - but also a religious alternative for those of the Christian faith:Niño Jesús, or Niño dios. Like Christkind in Germany, Niño Jesús-who is particularly popular in countries likeColombia, Bolivia and Costa Rica (photo here) - a personification of the baby Jesus. But while the Germans finally made their version of Jesus Jesus an angelic child, in Latin America, they remain attached to the concept of origin: aA magic baby who delivers gifts Good boys and girls.

Of course, Santa Claus is not limited to the Western world. In China, for example, there isDun Chel Lao Ren, which translates almost to the "old Christmas Man". Although it is a small population, Christians in China celebrate Christmas Day, which they callSheng Dan Jieh, meaning "Saint Birth festival". Kidshang the In the hope of receiving gifts from Dun Che Lao Ren, who is also known asLAN KHOONG-KHOONG, which translates into "beautiful old father".

Japan does not have one, but two Santa Clauses. The first one,Santa Kurohsu, is a Japanese interpretation of American Santa Claus. Thanks to a 1970s' marketing campaign, which has always joined Christmas with KFC in the Japanese consciousness, it is sometimes confused with Colonel Sanders Fried Chicken icon. (Yes really.)

The second,Hoteiosho, is a Gift Buddhist monk that offers on the eve of New Year, which looks more like Christmas in Japan than Christmas current. He is just as round as Santa Claus and just like merry, but he has something that Santa does not do it:Eyes in the back of his head This allows him to see when Japanese children are badly driven.

In Russia, Santa Claus goes through the nameDed Moroz, resulting in "Grandfather's frost. "We believe he went down fromMorzko, a "ice demon" pagan who froze his enemies and children removed, but later transformed into the softer character of Ded Moroz, who now believed to be a nice kind that gives gifts to children. But he looks and does things a little beyond other Santas: the big thin size blue door, not red and goes out on the New Year's Eve, notChristmas Eve. Ded Moroz also prefers to ride horses on the reindeer, and instead of elves like his assistants, he has his granddaughter, a snow girl Elsque namedSnegurochka.

In Norway, Saint Nick looks more like one of the Santa elves than Santa Claus itself. It's because Norwegian Santa Claus calledJulenissenIs a "Nisse" -a Gnome playful with a long beard and a red hat, responsible for the protection of superstitious farmers and their farms in Scandinavian folklore. "Jul" (think that "yule") is the Norwegian word for Christmas, then Julenissen literally translates into "Christmas Gnome". And it brings not only gifts, but also plays Christmas prates! A similar character exists in Sweden and Denmark, where he is known asJulmte andJulie, respectively.

Iceland is another county where Santa takes the form of a gnome, but in this Nordic nation, there are 13! CalledJólasveinar, who is Icelandic for "Yule boy, "They are happy but eviltroll band which could be compared to the seven Dwarfs of Snow. Like Disney Princess assistants, each boy yule has his own distinct personality. There is stubby, for example, flying from frying pans food; Peeper window, who likes to take a look in open windows; Slammer, who keeps people awake by slamming doors; and sausing swiper, which steals unguarded sausages. For the 13 days preceding Christmas, the boys yule in turn visiting children who leave their shoes on the edge of the window in the hopes they will find them filled with treasures when they wake up. The good children receive candies, while the villains get potatoes royalty.

Instead of a gnome, Finland has a Christmas goat, orJoulyukukki. Jouilupukki, we believe, was supported by the Pagan mid-winter festival known as the Yule, during which young men dressed in goats - with fur jackets, masks and horns - would travel from home to House, terrorizing the occupants of each house while asking for food and alcohol. Known asNuuttipukkiThese young men would make use to scare the children if they had not had what they wanted.

When Christianity arrived in Finland in the Middle Ages, the legend of St. Nicholas entered somehow glued with the Lore de Nuutipukki. The result was Jouupukki, which is not actually a goat, but rather a Finnish Santa Claus traveling to the door to the door Visit children like the Nuuttipukki, but giving them gifts instead of grief.

The Greek equivalent of Santa Claus is calledAgios Vasilios. As in many other countries, in addition to the United States, it comes to the New Year's Eve instead of Christmas Eve, delivering gifts for children open to New Year's Day. But his schedule is not the only thing that makes Agios Vasilios different from Santa Claus in states; Its lineage is also unique.

Agios Vasilios is Greek for "Saint basil, "Which is a saint of the Greek orthodox church, unlike the Saint-Nicolas of Catholicism. According to the Lore Church, St. Basil began his career as a lawyer, but finally left the law to devote his life to the Finally becoming a bishop. By joining the Church, he gave all his property and devoted his life to the poor, for whom he developed a number of charity projects, including a cooking soup and theBasiliad, a shelter and a clinic considered as the world's first hospital. And it is in this tradition to help the poor that Agios Vasilios said to bring gifts to Greek children today!