TheoriginalSantaClaus,St.Nicholas,wasbornintheancientsoutheasternTurkishtownofLyciaearlyinthefourthcentury.Hisgenerositywaslegend,andhewasparticularlyfondofchildren.WeknowthisprimarilythroughRomanaccountsofhispatronageofyouth,whicheventuallyledtohisbecomingthepatronsaintofchildren.ThroughouttheMiddleAges,andwellbeyond,hewasreferredtobymanynamesnoneofthemSantaClaus.

　　ChildrentodaywouldnotatallrecognizetheSt.NickwhobroughtgiftstoEuropeanchildrenhundredsofyearsagoexceptperhapsforhiscascadingwhitebeard.Hemadehisroundsinfullred-and-whitebishop'srobes,completewithtwinpeakedmiterandcrookedcrozier.Hewaspulledbynofleetfootedreindeer,butcoaxedinindolentdonkey.AndhearrivednotlateonChristmasEve,butonhisChristianfeastday,December6.Thegiftsheleftbesidethehearthwereusuallysmall:fruit,nuts,hardcandies,woodandclayfigurines.

　　DuringtheProtestantReformationofthesixteenthcentury,St.NicholaswasbanishedfrommostEuropeancountries.Replacinghimweremoresecularfigures,whoingeneralwerenotatcenterstageatthatpointinhistory..TheDutchkepttheSt.Nicholastraditionalive.Asthe"protectorofsailors,"St.NicholasgracedtheprowofthefirstDutchshipthatarrivedinAmerica.AndthefirstchurchbuiltinNewYorkCitywasnamedafterhim.TheDutchbroughtwiththemtotheNewWorldtwoChristmasitemsthatwerequicklyAmericanized.

　　InsixteenthcenturyHolland,childrenplacedwoodenshoesbythehearththenightofSt.Nicholas'sarrival.Theshoeswerefilledwithstraw,amealforthesaint'sgiftladendonkey.Inreturn,Nicholaswouldinsertasmalltreatintoeachclog.InAmerica,theshoewasreplacedwiththestocking,hungbythechimney.

　　TheDutchspelledSt.Nicholas"SaintNikolass,"whichintheNewWorldbecame"Sinterklass".laterchangedto"SantaClaus".

　　MuchofmoderndaySantaClauslore,includingthereindeerdrawnsleigh,originatedinAmerica.Dr.ClementClarkeMoorecomposed"TheNightBeforeChristmas"in1822,toreadtohischildrenonChristmasEve.ThepoemmighthaveremainedprivatelyintheMoorefamilyifafriendhadnotmailedacopyofit(withoutauthorialattribution)toanewspaperandbecamepartoftheSantalegend.

　　ItwasinAmericathatSantaputonweight.Therosy-cheeked,roly-polySantaiscreditedtotheinfluentialnineteenth-centurycartoonistThomasNast.From1863until1886,NastcreatedaseriesofChristmasdrawingsforHarper'sWeekly.Thesedrawings,executedovertwentyyears,exhibitagradualevolutioninSantafromthepudgy,diminutive,elf-likecreatureofDr.Moore'simmortalpoemtothebearded,potbellied,life-sizebellringerfamiliaronstreetcornersacrossAmericatoday.Nast'scartoonsalsoshowedtheworldhowSantaspenthisentireyearconstructingtoys,checkingonchildren'sbehavior,readingtheirrequestsforspecialgifts.HisimageswereincorporatedintotheSantalore.

　　Santaisknownthroughouttheworldinmanydifferentnames,suchas:

　　SaintNikolaas(SinterKlaas),fromtheDutchFatherChristmas,fromtheEnglishKrisKringle,fromtheGermansBefana,fromtheItaliansBobouschka,fromtheRussians(agrandmotherlyfigureinsteadofamale)

　　圣诞老人的传说在数千年前的斯堪的纳维亚半岛即出现.北欧神话中司智慧,艺术,诗词,战争的奥丁神,寒冬时节,骑上他那八脚马坐骑驰骋于天涯海角,惩恶扬善,分发礼物.与此同时,其子雷神着红衣以闪电