Valerie M. Fridland: Everyone has heard of Santa Claus, that chubby, white-bearded guy in a red suit who delivers Christmas presents in a reindeer-powered sleigh.
But have you never wondered how he became the man with so many names? From Father Christmas to Father Christmas to Kris Kringle, it's a wonder Rudolph isn't completely confused as to who he actually works for.
So, as a linguist who studies the social and historical pathways that lead to the words we operate, Christmas lights and holly branches inspired me to take a deep dive into Santa's past to discover what name we should really operate for the man in red.
I have, I have, I have
It may seem like it has been around as long as the North Pole, but the name Santa Claus, so often mentioned by Americans to refer to the ancient Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, is a surprisingly recent nickname.
The first written references to “Saint Nicholas” appear in the USA only in the behind schedule 18th century, when he was mentioned in a reference to a religious event in the New York Gazette: “Last Monday is the anniversary of St. Nicholas.” Nicholas, otherwise called Saint. Nicholas, was celebrated in the Protestant-Hall.”
The fact that the first mention appeared in New York is not unusual, given New York's history until 1664 as a Dutch colony and the continuing presence of Dutch settlers in the area.
This Dutch origin is crucial because Santa Claus is actually a loanword from English of the Dutch name Sinter Klaas, which sometimes dialectically appeared as Sante Klaas.
However, before the 1830s, the replacement of Santa Claus with St. Santa Claus was not regular. In fact, before its overall popularity greatly increased in the second half of the 19th century, in the early part of that century its operate often consisted of invoking Dutch heritage and culture, as in the satirical writings of Washington Irving.
For example, a New York satirical magazine of that era wrote in 1808: “The notable St. Nicholas, vulgarly called Saint Nicholas – of all the saints in the calendar, the most revered by the true Dutch and their unsophisticated descendants.
However, in the 1820s, a children's book depicted Santa Claus in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, suggesting that by then his contemporary reputation had already been established. However, his iconic outfit did not become his standard uniform until more than a century later, in 1930, a Coca-Cola advertisement depicted him in splendor in a red suit.
Previously, Santa's costumes ranged from green and yellow to even patriotic stars and stripes.
Old Saint Nick
The popular term for Saint Nicholas prior to this period was Santa Claus, a name known from religious celebrations of St. Nicholas Day. Nicholas on December 6. The Dutch name SinterKlaas is actually a derivative of the name Saint Nicholas.
Historically, the namesake of St. Nicholas was an extremely merciful bishop of the Roman city called Myra in the 4th century. He became the patron saint of children and was known as a man of great generosity.
Its origins made it an straightforward candidate for later association with Christmas, even though it was originally celebrated on a completely different day and for a different reason.
Regardless of whether he rode through Saint Nicholas or Saint Nicholas, the man's immense fame as a giver of concrete wishes also turned out to be another legacy of the Dutch, as it was a tradition to give compact gifts or sweets on Saint Nicholas Day. And so this Dutch tradition inspired the American mythologization of a man with a bag of gifts on his back to be delivered to children across the country.
Kringle's wrinkle
Another Santa Claus name that gained popularity in the 19th century was Kris Kringle. While Santa Claus was Dutch, Kris Kringle arrived through Germans who first settled in Pennsylvania and then spread out, especially in the behind schedule 19th century.
Kris Kringle's name, however, had no connection with Santa Claus. Instead, it comes from the German word Christkindlein, meaning “baby Jesus”, referring to a baby in a manger. So unlike St. Nicholas Kris Kringle is more directly related to the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ.
However, over time, the feast of St. Saint Nicholas Day, also celebrated by German immigrants, was increasingly associated with Christmas celebrations in the USA. Considering that the influx of Germans into the United States was much greater than that of the Dutch in the 19th century, it is not surprising that the German name competed with the Dutch name for much of that period before Americans finally decided to settle mainly for Santa Claus.
A man of many names
Ultimately, whether it is St. Nick, Santa or Kris Kringle riding his sleigh for the holidays, the story behind his name illustrates the wonderful fusion of languages and cultures – a reminder of how differences can blend into a opulent and diverse part of a culture, celebrated by many.
Valerie M. Fridland, Professor of Linguistics, University of Nevada, Reno
This article has been republished from Conversation under Creative Commons license. Read it original article.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
