Saint Nicholas

Nicholas was born into a wealthy family. His parents were Theophanes and Nonna. His uncle, for whom he was named, was Bishop of Patara.  Bishop Nicholas observed the virtuous life his nephew led from an early age, and advised his parents to give their son to the service of God. They consented to do this, and under the tutelage of his uncle, Nicholas was ordained a priest. At the ordination ceremony, Bishop Nicholas pronounced this prophecy concerning his nephew: "I see, brethren, a new sun rising above the earth and manifesting in himself a gracious consolation for the afflicted. Blessed is the flock that will be worthy to have him as its pastor, because this one will shepherd well the souls of those who have gone astray..." This prophecy was indeed later fulfilled.

The ordained Nicholas could have found communion with God in a monastic life, but to walk within the confines of a cloister was not his way. He wanted to be able to follow the footsteps of Jesus in the Palestine, which he did. According to legend, on his voyages across the sea, he calmed the waves (which is why he is patron of sailors and travelers). Churches built and dedicated to St. Nicholas are often placed so that they can be seen off the coast as landmarks.

As a young priest, Nicholas often oversaw the bishopric at Patara when his uncle was out of town. His aptitude was recognized and he was eventually chosen bishop of the then rundown diocese of the capital of Myra, which he ruled with great care and faith. There he became known for his holiness and zeal.

Greek histories hold that he suffered imprisonment and made a famous confession during the persecution of Diocletian. He was present at the Council of Nicaea, where he condemned Arianism--one story holds that he actually slapped the heretic Arius during a heated debate. He was deposed for his action, but was reinstated before the Council adjourned.  

The acts of St. Nicholas that gave rise to the "gift-giving" Santa Claus began in the early years of his priesthood. A citizen of Patara lost his fortune, and because he could not raise dowries for his three daughters, he was going to give them over to prostitution. After hearing this, Nicholas took a bag of gold and threw it through the window of the man's house at night. The eldest girl was married with it as her dowry. He performed the same action for each of the other girls. Because of this and similar stories, Nicholas became a symbol of anonymous gift-giving. Hence, if we give a gift to someone today without saying whom it is from, it can be called "a present from Saint Nicholas (or Santa Claus)." The three purses, portrayed in art with the saint, were mistakenly thought to be the heads of children, and thus originated the story that three children, murdered by an innkeeper and pickled in a tub of brine, were resuscitated by Nicholas. The three purses are also thought to be the origin of the pawnbrokers' symbol of three gold balls.

Another anecdote about Nicholas relates that the governor of Myra took a bribe to condemn three innocent men to death. The executioner was about to kill them when Bishop Nicholas appeared and prevented the execution. Turning to the governor, the Bishop upbraided him till he confessed his sin and begged to be forgiven.

Bishop Nicholas died about 320 A.D., at Myra When Myra fell into the hands of the Saracens, Italian forces seized the relics of St. Nicholas. They are now in a basilica in Bari, Italy. The popular cultural representation of "St. Nick" is based on a combination of the Low Countries' custom of giving children presents on his feast day as their patron, and the Dutch Protestants of New Amsterdam (now New York) linking this to Nordic folklore of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded exemplary ones with presents. (It should be noted that the long-haired, bearded figure of Santa Claus was originally based on the Germanic god, Thor, who was associated with winter and the Yule log and rode on a chariot drawn by goats named Cracker and Gnasher.)

The English, in colonial New York, adopted from the Dutch the now unrecognizable saint, calling him Santa Claus (a contraction of the Dutch Sint Nikolaas). They moved his feast day from December 6 to the English gift holiday, Christmas. The career and qualities attributed to Santa Claus are all recently acquired.