Words and Their Stories
Is His Name Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas,
Kris Kringle or Pelznickel? Who Cares,
So Long As He Brings Gifts!
- Is His Name Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle or Pelznickel?
Now, the VOA Special English program Words andTheir Stories.
Santa Claus is someone who will remain in the heartsof children forever. He is the make-believe person whobrings toys and other gifts to children at Christmas. Togrown-ups, he is a special symbol of good will andselfless giving.
Santa Claus also has some other names: SaintNicholas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Pelznickel.
Two of his names -- Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas --both come from the Dutch who settled in New York longago.
The Dutch believed Saint Nikolaas gave gifts tochildren. They honored this kindly saint with a yearly festival on December 6th. The English-speaking people who lived nearby greatly enjoyed Dutch festivals. And they brought the saint and the custom of giving gifts into their owncelebration at Christmas time.
The Dutch version of Santa Claus, Sinterklaas, or SaintNicholas, and his blackface helpers Zwarte Piet (BlackPete) arrive by steamboat in Hoorn, northwesternNetherlands, Nov. 16, 2013.West of New York, in Pennsylvania, many Germanfarmers had also heard of Saint Nikolaas. But theycalled him Pelznickel. This word came from “pelz,”meaning fur, and “nickel” for Nicholas. And so, to theGermans of Pennsylvania, Saint Nicholas or Pelznickelwas a man dressed in fur who came once a year withgifts for good children.
Soon, people began to feel that the love and kindness Pelznickel broughtshould be part of a celebration honoring the Christkindl, as the Germanscalled the Christ child. After a time, this became “Kris Kringle.” Later, KrisKringle became another name for Santa Claus himself.
People dressed as Father Frost, the named used locallyfor Santa Claus, and Snow Maiden greet passers-byduring a New Year parade in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (Reuters Image)The picture of Santa Claus, as we see him, came fromThomas Nast. He was an American painter born inBavaria. He painted pictures for Christmas poems.Someone asked him to paint a picture of Santa Claus.
Nast remembered when he was a little boy in southernGermany. Every Christmas, a fat old man gave toysand cakes to the children. So, when Nast painted the picture, his Santa Clauslooked like the kindly old man of his childhood. And through the years, Nast’spainting has remained as the most popular picture Of Santa Claus.
Santa can be seen almost everywhere in large American cities during theChristmas season. Some
