Santa Claus

:For places in the United States with this name, please see Santa Claus (disambiguation).

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Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Papá Noel (Weihnachtsmann in German, Noel Father in Spanish, Papai Noel Noel Father in Portuguese De Kerstman in Dutch, or simply Santa) is a character in North American, British, Brazilian and other cultures who gives presents to children on Christmas Day.

Related Topics:
German - Spanish - Portuguese - Dutch - North American - British - Brazilian - Christmas Day

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Father Christmas is a well loved figure in the UK, and is now interchangeable with Santa Claus, though the two had quite different origins. The term Santa is as widely used and understood by UK children as Father Christmas.

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He is a variant of a European folk tale based on the historical figure Saint Nicholas, a bishop from present-day Turkey, who supposedly gave presents to the poor, explaining the source of Christmas presents given to children on Christmas Day. The name is derived from the Dutch Sinterklaas, an intermediate figure between the bishop and the Christmas icon. He forms part of the Christmas tradition throughout the English speaking world as well as in Latin America and Japan.

Related Topics:
Folk tale - Saint Nicholas - Bishop - Turkey - Christmas - English - Latin America - Japan

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In Eastern Orthodox tradition, he visits children on the New Year's Day and is identified with Saint Basil whose memory is celebrated on that day.

Related Topics:
Eastern Orthodox - New Year's Day - Saint Basil

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