By: Barnali Bose ( Associate Editor-ICN Group )
Santa Claus is coming to town riding on his sleigh….
With Christmas round the corner, there seems to be a flurry of activity everywhere. Everyone seems to be busy. But guess who is the busiest now? Who else but Santa, the favourite wishmaster for children. Santa Claus is now busy making his itinerary for Christmas Eve. Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer ( the icy wind adding crimson colour to his nose) is also energising himself as he gets ready to chariot Santa on his magical sleigh across the globe.
From North Pole to South Pole Santa is perhaps checking on the Google maps so as not to lose track. A larger terrain has to be covered and many more houses to be visited than last year,thanks to the ever-explosive population and ever expanding human habitation. Children are busy reviewing their wish lists over and over again ensuring that nothing is forgotten.
The legendary Santa:
The real Santa Claus—the historical figure upon whom the legend is based was Saint Nicholas of Myra, a fourth-century bishop who lived and died far from the Arctic Circle, in what is now Turkey. He was not only wealthy but also generous. The sailors spread Nicholas’ story around the world, thereby making him one of the most popular Christian saints.
On his demise, pilgrims flocked to visit Myra where St. Nicholas’, having served as bishop had been buried. At that time when the relics of saints spelled power and prestige, his remains were stealthily shifted to the Italian port city of Bari. However, Venice also claimed to possess parts of his relics. Today both the places attract the saint’s devotees.
Santa’s red costume and generous gift distributing habit were based on Saint Nicholas .His icy home base was however the brainchild of Victorian cartoonist Thomas Nast, who depicted Santa Claus as a cheerful old elf riding on a reindeer-drawn sleigh. For perhaps decades, Santa’s home at the North Pole existed solely in Nast’s cartoons and in the world of make-believe.
Santa’s home acquired physical form 13 miles from Lake Placid when one day Julian Reiss, a New York businessman, was on a long drive with his daughter. He fabricated the story of a baby bear who set out on a great adventure to find Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. Reiss then must have had a tough time trying to convince her that no such workshop existed in reality.
It however sparked a business idea that manifested itself in the 25 wooded acres Santa’s Workshop around Lake Placid .Santa’s Workshop in North Pole, New York, became one of America’s first theme parks, and its novel depiction of Santa’s magical workshop brought visitors by the thousands.
The stockings:
As a child, I, along with my sisters would hang long socks,since we, living in a tropical climate never wore stockings.We would hold hands and whisper a wish,after having unanimously decided on what to ask for.
On Christmas morning , Santa never failed to light up our faces with joy. Years later, our father confessed that he would eavesdrop when we discussed about the gift we wanted. It was not difficult to fulfill because we asked for simple things like a chocolate cake instead of the usual fruit cake or maybe red scarves for all .
The quintessential custom of hanging stockings on Christmas has survived the ravages of time. Even today, children hang stockings on Christmas Eve and wait eagerly for their wishes to be granted by the timeless wishmaster.
A popular legend says that a poor widower was worried about marrying off his daughters but his self-esteem deterred him from accepting help. Saint Nicholas passing by was apprised of the situation. He quietly left them a bounty.
The Christmas card :
Scenes of dripping paint brushes, bits of paper strewn all over the floor,and paint-smudged fingers flash in my memory. Christmas activity was synonymous with card making .
It was considered no less a feat to be able to make Christmas cards on your own. The Church bells, angels,candles,Santa, the red cap,green holly leaves ,the red cherries were the common images depicted. My favourite were the candle and the Christmas bells.
There was an undeclared competition so far as making the maximum number and the most attractive cards were concerned. Readymade cards were considered a luxury . Buying cards was limited but making them was unrestrained and thus fun.
How the practice of giving cards on Christmas came into being is rather interesting.Henry Cole, a well-known educator and patron of the arts was in a dilemma during the holiday season of 1843.The problem were letters.
An old custom in England, the Christmas and New Year’s letter had received a new impetus with the recent expansion of the British postal system. The introduction of the “Penny Post,” allowed the sender to send a letter or card anywhere in the country simply by affixing a penny stamp to the correspondence.Suddenly,letter writing seemed to have become the most popular pastime.
In Victorian England, it was considered impolite not to answer mail. Cole approached an artist friend, J.C. Horsley to design an idea that had cropped up in his mind.
Cole then took Horsley’s illustration—a triptych showing a family at table celebrating the holiday flanked by images of people helping the poor.
A thousand copies were made by a London printer. The image was printed on a piece of stiff cardboard 5 1/8 x 3 1/4 inches in size. At the top of each was the salutation, “TO:_____” allowing Cole to personalize his responses.The generic greeting “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To You.”was common to all.
The first Christmas card was thus born.
The fervour that marks the celebration of the birth of Christ is common to all and surpasses all boundaries,whether geographical or religious . Christmas heralds the new year and with it new hope, hope to erase manmade boundaries and demolish man made walls that separate men from other men.
