St Nicholas through the years

• ca 270-280The birth of St Nicolaas, the most likely predecessor of Father Christmas. Known to like children and to give gifts to the less fortunate.
• ca 343St Nicolaas died on 6th December
• ca 600The Anglo-Saxons established themselves in Great Britain. Amongst the gods in their thinking was Father Frost, always portrayed in a long cloak and pointed hat.
• ca 800The Viking brought their rites involving the god Odin to Great Britain. This god came to earth every December to ask the people if they were content. He often had a large sack with him from which he gave gifts to the poor. He was usually portrayed as a wise man with a long white beard.
• 842The first writings concerning the life of St Nicolaas appeared.
• 987Nicolaas became the patron saint of Russia.
• ca 1120Nuns in Belgium and France began a tradition of gift giving to children and the poor.
• ca 1300Portraits of Nicolaas drop the dark beard and now show him with the white beard and flying white horse of Odin.
• ca 1400More than 500 songs and hymns concerning St Nicolaas were known by this time.
• ca 1626A fleet of supply ships, with Sint Nicolaas as figurehead, sailed from the Netherlands to America. In Nieuw Amsterdam the sailors erected a statue in honour of St Nicolaas.
• 1773St Nicolaas was mentioned in the New York Gazette, which noted that he was also known as Saint Claus.
• 1863-1886The political cartoonist Thomas Nast publishes a drawing of Father Christmas and becomes known as the man who gave Father Christmas a face.
• 1931Coca Cola began a large advertising campaign featuring Father Christmas. The art director Haddon Sundblom created the red suit and all the other features we associate with Santa Claus to this day.

~ Dutch Weekly, Dec 2001