This week, I received an e-mail from an acquaintance who was thrilled that her local mall had an African-American Santa and an Asian-American Santa. This is a phenomenon I don't understand. And this is why: Santa Claus is based on a REAL person. And he was a European guy!I'm sorry if someone is offended about Santa being white. But he was white in real life! He's a historical figure. What if someone said, "I'm offended that Martin Luther King Jr. is always portrayed as an African-American. Can't we have some images of a Hispanic MLK Jr.?"
Can we just alter history to make people feel better? There sure are a lot of images of Mother Theresa floating around. How ridiculous would it be if someone said, "I think we need more pictures of an Asian Mother Theresa?" This could be for any historical figure - from George Washington to Princess Diana.
The American version of St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus originally came from the Dutch version called Sint Klaas. The Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (New York) brought this tradition to America in the 17th Century.
Santa Claus incorporates many traditions: Christian and Pagan, Old Catholic, Scandinavian, Dutch, German and English (re: ALL European).
St. Nicholas was originally Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna (Izmir), in what is now Turkey, during the 4th century A.D. He was very rich, generous, and loving toward children. Often he gave joy to poor children by throwing gifts in through their windows. The Orthodox Church later raised St. Nicholas, miracle worker, to a position of great esteem. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of children and seafarers.
So call him what you like, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, whatever. But remember that, historically, he was a European dude.
1 comment:
I never knew that they actually made African-American and Asian-American Santas. Are these actual people who dress up to greet the kiddies or little statues?
I never would have thought about this, but you are right--it's ridiculous. I love the idea of a "Hispanic Martin Luther King Jr."
This is something that's always bothered me about the portrayal of Jesus as well. He's always portrayed as a European guy, but wouldn't he have been Middle Eastern?
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