December 6 is a significant day for the faithful, as it marks the commemoration of a bishop renowned for his love of children and benevolence. St. Nicholas of Myra, born in Lycia in Asia Minor during the late third or fourth century, is not solely the inspiration behind the modern-day Santa Claus.
As a young adult, St. Nicholas traveled to Palestine and Egypt to study at the School of the Desert Fathers. When he returned from his journey, he was quickly ordained as Bishop of Myra (now known as Demre) on the Turkish coast. During the Diocletian persecution, he was incarcerated until Constantine the Great brought Christianity to power and made it the official religion of the Roman Empire.
One of St. Nicholas’s most famous acts of kindness was throwing bags of gold through an open window of a poor man’s home. This gesture served as a dowry for the man’s daughters, who were otherwise at risk of being forced into prostitution. The gold landed in the family’s shoes, which were drying near the fire. This is why children leave their shoes out by the door or hang their stockings by the fireplace on the eve of his feast, in the hopes of receiving a gift.
Nicholas is connected to Christmas because of the tradition of giving secret gifts to children. It is believed that the saint – known for wearing red robes and having a long white beard – was transformed into the modern-day Santa Claus with a reindeer-drawn sled full of toys. This cultural evolution likely arose from the German name for St. Nicholas, “San Nikolaus,” which sounds similar to “Santa Claus.” In the East, he is known as St. Nicholas of Myra, and in the West, St. Nicholas of Bari. The latter name is due to the Italians taking his relics to Bari during the Muslim conquest of Turkey in 1087.
Nicholas is the patron saint of children and sailors, and his intercession is sought by those affected by fires, economic hardship, and shipwrecks. He passed away on December 6, 346.
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