We’re all aware of the figure of Santa Claus, and it’s safe to guess that most adults have a vague knowledge of the history surrounding the man, the myth, the legend. At the very least, I can assume that most people know “Santa Claus” is based on a very real man: St. Nicholas.
However, not only is St. Nicholas an anomaly in our modern
world for being one of the few annually recognized Saints (a catholic practice
that was largely disbanded in the 1500s during the Reformation; a religious
movement that led to the creation of Protestantism), he also has direct ties to
me. And that’s the subject of my focus, because it’s my birthday, and I’m selfish
like that.
In Western Christians countries, Saint Nicholas Day is
observed on December 6th (my birthday!), the day of his passing in
343 AD. He was a Greek man, and the bishop of Myra, Lycia (modern day Turkey).
He was a pretty rockin' dude...
In addition to being the patron saint of children, Saint
Nicholas of Myra helped 3 sisters avoid prostitution by leaving them gold on 3
separate occasions, in order for their father to afford a dowry. In the fourth
century, a destitute, unmarried woman was likely to turn to prostitution out of
necessity.
St. Nicholas reportedly saved three men, who were
falsely imprisoned and sentenced to death when the governor Eustathius took a
bribe to condemn them.
He protected and offered gifts to sailors, used his
inheritance to help the poor and sick, and aided people regardless of sex or
age.
He had a thirst for sincere and true religion, suffered the
loss of his parents at an early age, and underwent an imprisonment of his own,
due to his faith.
Cool dude, right? What a great example of a life well lived.
I, for one, am grateful for the Dutch. St. Nicholas remained
an important figure in Holland, even after the Reformation—in a similar fashion
to which the works of St. Patrick have been kept alive in Ireland—and many of
our Christmas traditions stem from the Dutch practices of St. Nicholas day on
December 6th. Even the name,
Sinter Klaas or Sint Nikolass, is where our jolly old saint’s name derives. (Oh
yeah, did I mention I went to a college in Holland, MI where our mascot was the
Flying Dutchman. The coincidences just keep rolling in.)
So, in addition to sharing my birthday with St. Nicholas’s
day, and my namesake with the town in which he served and died, I took it up a
notch and married a man named Nicholas. And we love Christmas.
(Please visit the links below for more information)
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