New Year is a wonderful holiday, and Father Frost is undoubtedly the most famous and beloved character, he is known by this or that name in most countries of the world. Virtually every nation has its own name, and portray it in different ways. Nevertheless, the Santa Clauses of all countries have common features, although its image has been changing and being supplemented for many centuries.
Nevertheless, very few people know how old Santa Claus is, when and where the story of this fairy-tale character began. It is possible to argue a long time about the fact that Father Frost appeared earlier, is considered to be the present and is the progenitor of all the others, but it should be noted that the history of the appearance of Santa Claus goes back to the time when people were pagans and worshiped spirits.
Russian Father Frost
The Slavic peoples had a spirit of cold, he had several different names - Moroz, Studenets, Treskun. The image of this character is very similar to the modern Santa Claus, whom we are accustomed to seeing on a winter holiday these days. The "newest" history of Santa Claus began when our people had a tradition to celebrate the New Year in winter. It was he who came to every house, carrying a bag of presents and a stick, and handed out gifts, but only those who deserved them received a gift, and Father Frost could also punish his stick.
With the passage of time, this custom has become a thing of the past. Today, Santa Claus is a merry good-natured, instead of a stick he has in his hand a magic staff with which he performs miracles and entertains the children near the New Year tree. Taking into account that this tradition originated many centuries ago, it is definitely impossible to determine exactly how many years old Santa Claus is probably not possible. It is interesting that the Granddaughter of the Snow Maiden is only with our Father Frost, in other countries this character does not exist.
The real ancestor of Santa Claus
By the way, the history of the appearance of Santa Claus has a very real basis. In the fourth century AD in the Turkish city of Mir lived a Christian priest - Archbishop Nicholas. And after his death he was elevated to the rank of saints for the good deeds that he performed during his lifetime. At the beginning of the second millennium, the remains of the saint were abducted, and news of this spread throughout the Christian world. People were outraged, and Saint Nicholas was worshiped in many countries.
St. Nicholas Day, as a holiday that is celebrated on December 19, appeared in the Middle Ages. Up to this day, it is customary for children to make presents.
"Old and new" history of Santa Claus in different countries
In some countries, where they believe in the existence of gnomes, it is these fabulous men who are considered the grandparents of Father Frost. There is also a version that its ancestors are jugglers who performed at festive fairs in medieval cities and sang Christmas carols.
Inhabitants of Holland of the 19th century, Father Frost, represent a chimney sweep and are sure that it is through chimneys that he delivers presents to children for Christmas and New Year.
To find out how old Santa Claus needs to look in 1773, it was then that the first mention of this character appeared, and he was named by that name. The prototype of the American Grandfather Frost, who brings gifts to children, was St. Nicholas of the Merlicen. At present, Santa Claus is a respected and respected profession. There are even specialized academies and schools. Thousands and thousands of good wizards read letters from millions of children from all over the world and bring gifts under the New Year tree. And it does not matter how old Santa Claus is - the main thing is to believe that he is!