The story of Santa Claus

A nice old man with a long white beard, dressed in a red outfit, carrying gifts to the youngest. This is how most people equate Santa Claus. However, it is worth knowing that he is not only a fairy-tale character. This person was really alive, he was born around 270 in the city of Patara in Lycia. What else can be said about Santa Claus? What's his story? We encourage you to read.

Bishop Saint Nicholas
Santa Claus was a long-awaited child, he was born in today's Turkey. Due to the fact that Mikołaj's parents were already elderly at the time of his birth, they died very quickly, leaving Mikołaj a large fortune. The man was an only child, he could lead a luxurious life, full of splendor, but in spite of everything he became an extremely pious person, living modestly on a daily basis.

After some time, Saint Nicholas was appointed bishop of the Catholic Church, and the whole celebration took place in Mir. Saint Nicholas of Myra loved to help the poor and needy, and also to distribute his wealth.

Interestingly, it is worth knowing that the name Mikołaj comes from the Greek language, it consists of two words: "nike", meaning to win and "laos", meaning people.

Help for the poor and needy
The life of Saint Nicholas of Myra was full of many interesting stories. The miracles he performed gave him much glory, he was adored by the faithful of the church.

One of these stories tells how Saint Nicholas once went to the Emperor Constantine the Great, who sentenced three young men from Myra to death for minor offenses. Nicholas asked the emperor to pardon them. The emperor complied with his requests. Another legend says that he saved the fishermen with his prayer when a storm was raging on the sea. Moreover, during the plague in his homeland, he served the sick at the risk of his own life.

Undoubtedly, one of the most popular stories is the legend of a man who had three daughters and fell into poverty, and was therefore forced to sell them to a brothel. When Santa Claus of Mira found out about it, he decided to help him and threw 3 pouches of money through the chimney of his house at night. These coins fell into stockings and shoes that the daughters had placed by the fireplace to dry. Thanks to these gifts, the farmer could buy his daughters from the brothel and get out of debt.

The story emphasizes, above all, that Saint Nicholas of Mira had a good heart and was not indifferent to the fate of the poor. Moreover, this legend became the prototype for the tradition cultivated by some countries, namely hanging socks around the fireplace around Christmas. On the night of Christmas Eve, Santa leaves gifts in his socks.

The memory of Santa Claus
Santa Claus died on December 6, 345 or 352. His body was buried in Mir, but 1000 years later he was transported to the Italian city of Bari. Nicholas was a character who brought a lot of good into the lives of others. His task was to bring disinterested help to the poor, hence his memory is cultivated to this day.

Santa Claus is a character that every child knows. Currently, he is mainly associated as an elderly grandfather with a long, gray beard and wearing a red jacket. Every year, at Christmas, he brings gifts to children. However, it is worth knowing that Nicholas has his prototype. It was the figure of Bishop Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived at the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries. The bishop was a pious person, he gave away his fortune to the needy. Due to the help of the poor or the poor, he became the prototype of a helpful figure who distributes gifts to children from all over the world