The story of the man of steel was written by a boy whose father was shot to death. The first female superhero was invented in a time clouded by sexual violence. The idea of superheroes originates from a time of great economic depression. Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman all make it evident to the reader that any evil can be fought as long as one has faith in their own capabilities.
Waking up early in the morning to write a letter to Santa Claus fills children all around the world with hope and dreams. While Santa Claus is around—sliding through chimneys and distributing gifts—all negativity subsides. The man himself represents joy and brings with him a celebration of presents and treats.
Superheroes and Santa Claus all advocate the same values: hope, goodwill and prosperity. In a world, where each passing day is a struggle for many teenagers, advocators of such values help people believe in a better tomorrow.
Saint Nicholas: the ‘boy bishop’
It is claimed that Saint Nicholas was born in the third century, in Greece. He was born to a wealthy family but lost his parents in an epidemic while he was still a young child. He was raised as a devout Christian and only the teachings of Jesus remained with him. He was inspired by the Bible (“sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven”) and at a young age, decided to give away his wealth to help others.
Saint Nicholas was selected to be a ‘boy bishop’, a practice that was famous in Western Europe. Through this, he was able to learn the role of a bishop and soon became the bishop of Myra in present-day turkey. He also became regarded a “patron saint” to all. The practice of boy bishop is still prevalent in some countries today. The first day of this exchange of lives is now regarded as the ‘saint Nicholas day’ and marks his death anniversary on 6th December.
The tales that live
Of his patronage, there are several stories that survived the ravages of time. Yet each has different versions that spread from Eastern Europe to the rest of the world. The two that are most regarded to represent his character are the stories of ‘the three daughters’ and the story of the children at the inn.
In those times, fathers had to offer a reward or a ‘dowry’ to men to marry their daughters when they came of age. Even though this practice is still not lost, in those times, the fathers who could not offer a dowry had to sell their daughters into prostitution. Saint Nicholas came to the aid of such a father who had three daughters but had lost all his earnings. The different versions defer upon whether Nicholas dropped balls of gold through the chimney or flung bags of gold from an open window. But, he put gold in a stocking by the fireplace, left by one of the daughters to dry. The other two later hung their stockings and so, all three daughters were able to afford their dowry. Their father had stayed up to spot the benefactor the second time and discovered Saint Nicholas. Thus, any unexpected gift received by those in need were from then on said to be from the generosity of Saint Nicholas.
Another tale of Saint Nicholas’s commitment to Jesus’s teachings is the tale of the children and the innkeeper. Three Asian students from a wealthy family stayed overnight at an inn. But, they were murdered and robbed by the innkeeper in their sleep. Saint Nicholas who happened to be staying at the same inn, dreamt of this gruesome murder and confronted the innkeeper on waking. The innkeeper revealed to not only have murdered the students but also many other guests for money and salted their bodies for pork. Upon retrieving the bodies of the innocent young students, Saint Nicholas prayed and resurrected the bodies. He was thus, regarded as “the patron of children”.
Histories at sea and beyond
There are several tales of Saint Nicholas also aiding those at sea. One such story tells us of the time the Saint rescued distressed sailors who were unable to manoeuvre their ships back into deep waters. It was said that he himself appeared on the ship and helped the sailors with their sails, disappearing as soon as they reached the deep waters. Sailors thus, pray to Saint Nicholas and are still known to wish luck to one another with the saying,
may St. Nicholas hold the tiller.
In Amsterdam, stands the famous Saint Nicholas Basilica. It has a statue of Saint Nicholas as the patron of children, ships and sailors and prisoners, wrongly condemned.
From Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus
Poems like a visit from St. Nicholas (“the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, /in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there”) helped the idea of Santa Claus spread throughout Europe and then migrate to America. St. Nicholas’s idea of giving gifts to young children took over the minds of creatives. It was represented through newspapers and advertisements by famous companies like the coca-cola company. The image of the “patron saint of children” was given attributes of a red suit, a white beard and eventually a belly. In a matter of time, Santa Claus became a symbol of prosperity and happiness throughout the world.
In the Netherlands, Santa Claus became known as “Sinterklaas” (Sint Nikolaas). The Dutch celebrated their own understanding of the concept of his giving and goodwill. While Christmas is celebrated on 25th December to mark the birth of Jesus Christ–Saint Nicholas’ main inspiration; 6th December is marked as Saint Nicholas day and gifts are exchanged his honour.
The story of Santa Claus thus, in its truest form, is a story of hope, faith and generosity and facilitates a culture of giving and goodwill. All values that Saint Nicholas stood for his entire life.
Young children and their belief in Santa Claus
Every year, young children of all ages ask Santa Claus for gifts and are blessed with them by their parents, on Christmas morning. Several families have also developed a tradition of giving to the less fortunate and visiting charities. This realisation of the existence of the less fortunate as well as the manifestation of the idea of tradition in a young mind is integral to their development. Children in this way, are able to learn to respect a person’s own beliefs and traditions and counter the subliminal notions of discrimination that surround them.
The creation of superheroes dates back to the great depression, a time where imagination provided an escape from harsh reality. The idea of a man travelling throughout the world on his magical sleigh with reindeers may seem implausible to an adult, but this makes young minds develop a sense of imagination and become more creative in their approach. On the contrary, it is important for a child to establish a sense of truth or reality found by him/her with their own investigations and understandings. The idea of Santa Claus also helps a child critically analyse a situation and differentiate between imagination and reality.
Writing letters to Santa Claus and hiding behind furniture waiting for him to deliver gifts are all significant moments for a child. The idea of Santa Claus facilitates them with everlasting childhood memories. Young children are often also seen to have a great sense of attachment towards Santa. This is not only because he is the bearer of gifts but also, because of the power of their belief in him. A child then develops the ability to believe in his/her own ideas and have the strength to bond with their imagination.
Hence, believing in Santa Claus is beneficial for children and St. Nicholas’ idea of gift-giving is carried forward by a child’s parents on Christmas. Yet, this entails that children must believe in the true values and virtues Saint Nicholas supported. On the contrary, it is not the gift under the tree but the blessing of having a protector, a saint or their own parents that young children must truly learn to cherish.
