This is what Saint Nicolas was the saint of
Before there was Santa Claus, there was St. Nick.
Although it is most often known as Santa Claus nowadays, the Barbu Jolly man who welcomes December 25 has picked up many nums over the centuries, one of the most famous being "Old Saint Nick " But while "Santa Claus" and "Saint-Nicolas" are used synonymously today, there is a real Saint Nicholas in history books - and it is thanks to his legacy that we have a lot of modernChristmas traditions We know and love.
So who was the real Saint Nicholas - and what was the holy of, anyway?
The original Saint Nicolas was born towards the end of the 3rd century A.d. in what is now Turkey. His parents had considerable sums of money and Saint Nicholas-or the bishop of Myra, as he was known at the time - was apparently eager to separate for the many others. It was this overwhelming generosity that led to his canonization and his appointment as the patron saint of the children and the poor.
There are two famous stories that illustrate why this man was so loved.
The first story - and the best known of the two - involve the bishop who discovered that a local father could not afford to make pavers for his three girls. (Back to the 3rd and 4th centuries, can not allow your dowry meant that you would be sold to prostitution.)
According to the legend, after hearing about the fate of girls, the bishop Nicholas secretly threw three gold bags through the Father's window in the middle of the night, preventing girls from having to live their lives like prostitutes. In other versions of the story, Saint-Nicolas makes the bags through a fireplace where they land in a dry sock to dry at the origin of the mythology of the fireplace and the bottom attributing to Santa Claus today.
In a second less known history of his kind acts, Nicholas entered an inn to find three young boys murdered in barrels in the basement. Not only did the bishop know instinctively that a crime had taken place, but it is also said that the victims brought life back to life.
"This is one of the things that made it the patron saint of children"Gerry Bowler,author ofSanta Claus:A biography, explained toNational Geographic. In addition to making these extraordinary acts, Saint Nicolas would have been known to regularly participate in kind and generous acts, including surprising people with money at the December annual festival held in his honor - a major reason we Associate Santa Claus with Santa Claus with modern era gifts.
And while Saint Nick is perhaps better known today to be the patron saint of the children, the bishop is actually aPattern for dozens of groups Including businessmen, brewers, preachers, soldiers, travelers, virgins and millers. Unsurprisingly, it is his kindness to groups as diverse of people - combined with the surrealist stories of Savior and Solale who surrounded him - who made the figure of the Christian figure so closely associated with Santa, the gift and to Xmas. And for more holidays, discover the30 most adorable Christmas traditions that make a magical holiday.
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