A number of Midwinter or Christmas traditions in European folklore involve gift-bringers. Mostly involving the figure of a bearded old man, the traditions have mutually influenced one another, and have adopted aspects from Christian hagiography, even before the modern period. In Slavic countries, the figure is mostly Father Frost. In Scandinavia, it is an elf-like figure or tomten who comes at Yule (and who sometimes also takes the form of a goat). In Western Europe, the figure was also similar to an elf, developing into Father Christmas in the modern period in Great Britain. In German-speaking Europe and Latin Europe, it became associated with the Christian Saint Nicholas.
In some parts of Central Europe, there is a separate tradition of a young child or fairy-like being bringing presents, known as Christkind.
From these European traditions, the North American figure of Santa Claus developed, beginning in the 1820s. The American figure in turn had considerable influence on the various European traditions during the 20th century.
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The origin of the Christian gift-bringer figures in European folklore are clearly pre-Christian, more specifically connected with the Yule (midwinter) festival in Germanic paganism. and are often associated with the figure of Odin (Wodanaz), the leader of the Wild Hunt at the time of Yule.[1]
Santa Claus's reindeer has also been compared to Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of Odin in Norse mythology.[2]
Jacob Grimm (Deutsche Mythologie) traces the threatening or scary companions of Saint Nicholas (such as the Krampus of the Austro-Bavarian dialect region) to Christianized versions of house-spirits (kobolds, elves).
After Christianization, the benign mid-winter gift-bringer was associated with the 4th-century Christian Saint Nicholas of Myra. This association took place mainly in the territories of the Holy Roman Empire, including German-speaking Europe, the Low Countries, the Czech lands, Hungary and Slovenia. The basis of this association is that Saint Nicholas was noted for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes.[3]
There are numerous traditions of Christmas gift-bringers in European folklore. They can be loosely classified in variations of an "Old Man" (Old Man Winter, Father Christmas), and a "child" or "girl" tradition. The "Old Man" is frequently syncretised with the hagiographical traditions of Saint Nicholas and Saint Basil.
In some countries, these traditions co-exist. In Italy, there is Babbo Natale ("Father Christmas") and La Befana (similar to Santa Claus; she rides a broomstick rather than a sleigh, but is not considered a witch) besides Santa Lucia ("Saint Lucy," a blind old woman who on December 13 brings gifts to children in some regions, riding a donkey) and Gesù bambino ("Child Jesus"). Slovenia has Sveti Miklavž or Sveti Nikolaj (Saint Nicholas) on 6 December, Božiček on 24 December and Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Winter) on 31 December.
The "Old Man Winter" traditions are widespread in Germanic Europe and Slavic Europe, and adjacent regions Finland, the Baltic, the Balkans, the Caucasus.
Ded Moroz or "Father Frost" is the Slavic name of this figure
Related figures are found in Albania, Plaku i Vitit te Ri ("Old Man Of The New Year"), and Armenia Ձմեռ Պապիկ (Dzmer Papik "Grandfather Winter") or Կաղանդ Պապա (Kaghand Papa "Father Christmas" or "Father New Year"), in Georgia: თოვლის ბაბუა, თოვლის პაპა (Tovlis Babua, Tovlis Papa "Snow Grandfather").
The Scandinavian figure is named for Yule
The "old man" figure is named for Christmas in Western Europe.
The association of the "Old Man Winter" figure with the Christian Saint Nicholas is most common in Central Europe, but is found as far east as in the Ukraine and as far west as in the Netherlands.
In Greek tradition, the role of gift-bringer is with Άγιος Βασίλης (Saint Basil) rather than Saint Nicholas.
In Bavaria, Austria and neighbouring areas (Hungary, Bohemia, eastern Switzerland plus Liechtenstein), the Christkind ("Christ child"; Czech Ježíšek "child Jesus"; Hungarian Jézuska or Kis Jézus "child Jesus") brings gifts in the evening of 24 December (which differs from Santa Claus's gifting during the night between December 24 and 25th); kids are unpacking gifts in evening already. The figure is interpreted as the baby Jesus in some traditions, but in others it is a female child or angel-like figure.
In North America, the various traditions of European settlers amalgamated, by the 1840s resulting in the Santa Claus figure. The name Santa Claus is taken from Dutch Sinterklaas, but the figure also has incorporated aspects of Father Christmas and Joulupukki.
Father Christmas in Latin America is known as Papá Noel. There are variations from country to country, but the North American Santa Claus figure has been of considerable influence.
People around Asia, particularly countries that have adopted Western cultures, also celebrate Christmas and the gift-giver traditions passed down to them from the West. Some countries that observe and celebrate Christmas (especially as a public holiday) include Hong Kong, Philippines, East Timor, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and the Christian communities within Central Asia and the Middle East.
Christians in Africa and Middle East who celebrate Christmas generally ascribe to the gift-giver traditions passed down to them by Europeans in the late 19th century and early 20th century . Descendants of colonizers still residing in these regions likewise continue the practices of their ancestors.[5]