They started celebrating the New Year in our country not so long ago, less than 100 years ago. Before that it was Christmas: with chants, carols and angels on the Christmas trees. But something remained unchanged. And on New Year's Eve, and on Christmas Eve, the same mysterious guest came to the children - Santa Claus. Nobody ever sees him, but in the morning, wonderful gifts await the kids under the Christmas tree. Colleagues of Santa Claus do the same in different countries.
Where did Santa Claus come from?
Oddly enough, this character is in no way connected with the religious, Christian motives of the holiday. This is the embodiment of a winter cold, a pagan deity of cold and frost. A short gray-haired old man in a sheepskin coat, who knocks with a staff, and wooden crackling is carried in the winter air. According to legend, if during the winter solstice it was especially frosty, then the harvest should have been good. Therefore, for Santa Claus put on the windowsills bowls with refreshments - ritual kutya and pancakes. These are dishes that served to commemorate the dead, winter has always been associated with the afterlife among the Slavs. Such a connection with pagan traditions is not uncommon. It is not so important what is the name of Santa Claus in different countries. Almost everywhere, this character comes from gray-haired paganism.
Then Santa Claus did not give any gifts to anyone. It was a harsh and formidable deity, but fair. It was Morozko - aka Santa Claus - who presented good characters in fairy tales and punished the evil ones. First, this motive migrated from folk motifs to literature, writers drew attention to the colorful character. By the 19th century, it was already a recognizable type.
Character birth
Then, in the country, active attempts were made to adopt Western Christmas traditions and create their own analogue of a good winter wizard. They were interested, as Santa Claus is called in different countries, different options were considered. Saint Nicholas, Grandfather Nicholas and even more familiar to the Slavic ear Morozko were offered. But the most successful in the role of a good winter wizard turned out to be Santa Claus. He fell in love with both children and adults. At the same time, a traditional image also developed: an old man in a bright sheepskin trimmed with fur, a hat and boots. In the hands of everyone, the familiar Santa Claus holds a long magic staff. Later, the wizard appeared companion - the granddaughter of the Snow Maiden.
But what about other countries?
Such a character is also present in the mythology of other countries. This is not always an old man, sometimes not even a person at all. Mythical creature, god, good wizard. The appearance of such creatures is very bizarre. It is quite possible that at a meeting Santas from different countries would not even be able to recognize each other. And the traditions were very different. Somewhere wizards bestowed good children, somewhere else they punished the naughty. There are countries in which two guests come to the kids on a holiday - good and evil. The first gives gifts, and the second, if the child behaved badly, scares him or punishes him. For this, the harsh winter spirit was usually stocked with real rods.
Now let's discuss how they call Santa Claus in different countries of the world and how he looks.
Everyone knows Santa Claus
A chubby old man with a short, fluffy white beard. Red caftan, red cap with fur trim. Santa Claus - that's what they call Santa Claus in different countries - from Britain to America, from Australia to Canada. Every Christmas, he flies in a magic sleigh pulled by deers and brings gifts to children. The prototype of this good old man was St. Nicholas. After all, Santa is “holy”, and Klaus is one of the forms of the name “Nikolai”. When Santa Claus, who was accustomed to the whole world, did not exist yet, it was he who on December 5 brought sweets and small gifts to children and hid them in a sock left on the fireplace or under a pillow. The Dutch, who honored St. Nicholas and loved the holiday dedicated to him, brought this tradition to America. She took root, soon many children on Christmas night were waiting for the mysterious wizard Santa Claus, who would surely bring everyone presents.
Finland
The way Santa Claus is called in different countries, sometimes it sounds quite funny for Russians to hear. Say, in Finland, a magical creature that fulfills cherished childhood wishes is called Joulupukki. Translated, this means as much as "Christmas goat." True, in Finland this phrase has no offensive or ambiguous connotation. The fact is that at Christmas they made a straw stuffed goat - just like in Russia they see off winter with a stuffed Pancake week. And the meaning of this action is the same - a pagan ritual, which should provide a good harvest next year. But in Finland, the goat-like creature similar to the ancient Greek fauns and satyrs acts as the fertility deity. This is where the tradition of endowing Joulupukki with such a strange nickname comes from. Sometimes he is even depicted with small horns on his head. So, speaking about the name of Santa Claus in different countries, one cannot smile at the thought that sometimes he turns out to be not only a good magician, but also a little cloven-hoofed.
Previously, in Finnish villages, guys dressed in sheepskin coats turned out with fur and wore a goat mask - the same tradition is present in the Slavic Christmas traditions. But in Russia, mummers are usually just caroling and wish the owners health and wealth. In Finland, these guys dressed in pagan spirit still gave gifts to obedient children, and scared the naughty and promised to spank.
Italy
Talking about how Santa Claus is called in different countries of the world, it is impossible not to mention Italy. There, unlike most of the traditional Christmas characters, gifts are given to children by a woman - Befana fairy. No, his Santa Claus is there too. His name is Babbo Natale. And the witch-like fairy of Befan brings sweets to the kids not on Christmas Day itself, but on January 6th, this is the day of honoring Saint Epiphanius. For those who behaved well, she puts chocolates and sweets under the pillow, and stuffs socks with pieces of coal under the pillbox. Befan's fairy looks pretty funny - like a real witch. Hooked nose, crooked teeth and black clothes. According to legend, the Befana fairy was once an evil witch. But, having learned about the birth of Jesus, she decided to abandon black magic. She met the Magi and wanted to go with them to Bethlehem. But they did not take poor Befana with them. Instead, she was instructed to roam the world and give gifts to obedient children, punishing the tricks. So there are many options for what they call Santa Claus in different countries. And only in Italy is it an evil witch who decided to become good.
Japan
Each country has its own traditions. At first, they may seem strange, unusual and even funny - but in the same way, Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden will seem ridiculous to someone. In Japan, let's say, there are as many as two characters associated with the New Year. Speaking about how Santa Claus is called in different countries, it is difficult to immediately figure out what to say about the Land of the Rising Sun. There is the canonical Segatsu-san and the newfangled Oji-san. This is the result of a mixture of national traditions and the influence of mass culture.
