The economy of Santa Claus: how much and how does a fairy-tale character earn. Who is older: Santa Claus or Santa Claus? How Santa appeared

Santa Claus is a character who migrated from fairy tales to reality. Children and teenagers believe in him, adults resort to his help. The existence of the hero explains the unusual events that take place on New Year's holidays. A gray-bearded old man in a traditional red suit takes care of the children and prepares gifts throughout the year. Surprises placed under the Christmas tree on New Year's Eve are expected by kids no less than birthday presents. Relationships with a fictional character are built on faith in him and in a miracle.

History of appearance

It's hard to believe that Santa Claus is a real person. He lived in ancient times, and his homeland was not called Lapland, but the Lycian Worlds. These are lands located on the territory of present-day Turkey. References to the character date back to 253 AD. The name of the citizen is St. Nicholas. He worked in the rank of bishop, was known as a respectable person and was respected for his faith. With savings, St. Nicholas shared with those in need and helped them as best he could. Sailors, merchants and bakers considered him a patron, and children doted on a good hero.

According to the tradition established in the 10th century, December 6 was the day of distribution of gifts in the Cologne Cathedral. The custom was quickly adopted in other cities, associating it with the famous St. Nicholas. In Russia, the hero is called.

In the 19th century, the American Clement Moore wrote a poem entitled "The Night Before Christmas, or the Visit of Saint Nicholas". She told about grandfather going from house to house to distribute gifts to children who had been well-behaved all year. The character's name, Santa Claus, is associated with a generous giver.

By 1840, almost everyone in the New World had an idea of ​​who Santa Claus was. In 1863, the artist Thomas Nast used the image of an old man in political cartoons. Subsequently, he described the life of a wizard in illustrations. Since then, it has been generally accepted that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, and his residence accommodates many elves who help make gifts for children.

According to legend, Santa has a house where he lives and works. Here he makes entries in the book of deeds of children from all over the world, assessing who was obedient and who played pranks. It is curious that the hero was originally depicted as an elf, but over time, the appearance became more human and similar to that which can be seen in modern images of the character.

Biography

Throughout the year, Santa prepares for the main holiday to pamper children with long-awaited gifts. On the eve of the holiday, he gets into a sleigh pulled by deer and flies through the sky to different countries, delivering presents. Grandpa comes down the chimney to every house, leaves surprises under the tree and eats cookies. Having completed the work, he goes home and again gives the task to the elves, who collect gifts for the kids.

Santa is dressed in red pants and a jacket with a belt, a neat cap on his head, and high boots on his feet. In some images, you can see that the grandfather is not averse to indulging in a smoking pipe. The environment of the old man is peculiar, and the history of life remains mysterious.

Unlike, who has a granddaughter, Santa Claus is lonely. Although some suggest that Mrs. Claus has a right to exist. The old man takes care of himself and has a weakness for milk and cookies, which are usually left for him under the tree. Among his friends are elves and deer, creatures with whom Santa easily finds a common language.

Magic sleds are moved through the air by forest deer: Dasher - Swift, Dancer - Dancer, Prencer - Steed, Vixen - Frisky, Comet - Comet, Cupid - Cupid, Donder - Thunder, Blitzen - Lightning and Rudolph. The last horse joined the herd by chance, having overtaken the deer during a snow storm. It is distinguished by a bright red luminous nose.

If we talk about the person who served as the prototype for Santa Claus, then his biography has more evidence and known details. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor in 255-257. AD in Patara. The boy's parents died, leaving their property to the heir. He lived with an uncle who was a priest and helped those in need. There is a known case related to the family of a poor man, whose daughters could not marry for lack of a dowry. The girls were going to be sold into slavery.

The night before the first transaction, the eldest daughter hung up the stockings after washing to dry, and in the morning she found gold in them. Nicholas helped the girls find happiness. He came to the rescue secretly. After a while he was elected bishop. The life of the hero was an example of faith, generosity and cordiality. After the death of Nicholas, the tradition of giving gifts and leaving surprises in New Year's stockings continued.

Quotes and Facts

In different countries, Santa Claus is represented in different images, and in different languages ​​of the world his name sounds different. In Russia and Belarus, this is Father Frost, in Austria - Sylvester, in Greece - St. Basil, in Germany - Weinakhtsman, in Colombia - Pascual, in France - Pere Noel. Holland is the country where Santa's name is Sinterklaas. In each state, the wizard hides gifts in his own way. In Sweden, children find them by the stove, in Germany - on the windowsill, in Mexico - in boots, and in Spain - on the balcony. In one corner of the world, Santa Claus is a pagan god, in another he is a wizard, and in a third he is a forest dweller.

In Europe, it is generally accepted that the overgrown favorite of children lives in Lapland. Many families come to the residence of Santa Claus for a visit on the eve of the New Year. In America, my grandfather has a residence in Torrington, Connecticut and Wilmington, New York.

Americans have made Santa Claus the idol of millions. Thanks to the famous advertising campaign of the Coca-Cola brand, the image of a lively grandfather was fixed in the minds of children and adults. Not surprisingly, cartoon characters in the United States unmistakably voice the nuances of Santa's biography.

“Don't you know the true meaning of Christmas? It's Santa's birthday!" - He speaks .

In the cartoon "Santa's Secret Service", the position of the main magician is passed down from generation to generation, and the main character declares with dignity:

“Many years ago my father told me that being a Santa is the best job in the world. He was right: I love my job!”

The kind image of a plump old man bringing gifts is cultivated in America and other countries, allowing children to believe in magic and a fairy tale. Philosophical quotes on this subject are contained in each New Year's film broadcast during the holidays.

Screen adaptations

Santa became the hero of numerous animated projects and films. In comedies, parents of large families, notorious bandits, heroes who do not believe in the power of Christmas, and those who lack love and warmth during the cold winter holidays appear in the image of the New Year's wizard.

Cinematographers present Santa Claus as an ordinary family man in the film "Santa Claus" in 1994, introduce the public to the character forced to play the role of a good wizard in the film "Bad Santa" in 2003 and offer to find out what a grandfather's family might look like. This is what the film Fred Klaus tells about. Santa's brother" 2007 release. Thanks to the imagination of the directors, the hero of traditional legends appears in a modern guise and remains a favorite of the public, regardless of the plot of the tape.

Every year Santa Claus comes to millions of children around the world and gives them gifts. How much does it cost? Where does he get this money from? HSE Senior Lecturer and Project Manager Danil Fedorov, especially for Sravni.ru, figured out how the financial life of Santa Claus works.

How much does Santa Claus earn per year?

This is difficult to estimate, given that the sources of income are not reliably known. Forbes magazine in 2005 Santa Claus in the list of 15 richest fictional celebrities, estimating his fortune at infinity. The following year, however, Forbes was forced to Santo from the ranking, taking into account the many evidence that he is real.

How much does he spend?

According to There are almost 2 billion children aged 0 to 14 in the world. If we assume that Santa Claus visits about half of them (that is, they live in countries where visiting Santa Claus at Christmas is mandatory, and also behave well during the previous year), then it turns out that Santa needs to give about a billion gifts. According to some estimates, the average cost of a Christmas present in the US is around $40. If we take this figure as a basis, then it turns out that the entire value of the gifts that Santa gives is 80 billion dollars, which is approximately equal to And .

A lot of money is spent on delivering gifts around the world. If we assume that the gifts weigh an average of 500 grams, then the total weight of the gifts is about a million tons. It is difficult to say how much cargo a carriage drawn by magical deer can carry, but if Santa Claus used Airbus A380F aircraft instead (one of the largest cargo aircraft in the world), then at least 6,000 of them would be required. Each such aircraft costs more than $400 million, which means that Santa's entire fleet can cost more than $2 trillion (not counting fuel). Although, perhaps, deer are cheaper than airplanes.

The expenses of the Russian Santa Claus are more modest. Center for Confectionery Market Research that the average cost of a sweet gift for the New Year in Russia is 524 rubles. There are approximately 25 million children in Russia, so a little more than 13 billion rubles will go to gifts for all of them. This amount is comparable to how much Moscow has spent on replacing curbs or on equipping Zaryadye Park.

Where does Santa get the money from?

There is no exact data on how Santa Claus earns, but it would be strange if Santa did not try to get a commission from everyone who uses his image for their own purposes. According to , fake Santas who work in shopping malls during the Christmas week, receive from 35 to 50 dollars per hour, and Santa's salary at the elite parties of Russian oligarchs can reach up to 1000 dollars per evening. The real Santa is too busy to be involved in this, so he's probably selling the franchise, getting paid by anyone who wants to be like him.

At the same time, it is interesting that Santa has no competitors: the market for delivering New Year's gifts to children is quite clearly divided between several magical grandfathers in different countries, and they rarely try to grab other people's shares. Perhaps there is a conspiracy between them, which could be of interest to the antimonopoly service of the North Pole.

It is possible that Santa is secretly selling some of the gifts made by the magical elves to pay for his expenses. Of course, in order not to be revealed, he can only do this through online stores. Who knows - maybe Santa is behind Amazon.com? The success of the Amazon is difficult to explain by anything other than the use of the labor of magical elves (more on that below). It is also possible that Santa Claus is behind Yandex.Market.

In addition, Santa Claus is the celebrity with the most expensive personal brand in the world. Brand Finance Agency Santa's $1.6 trillion brand, 18 times the price of Apple's brand.

Can he be called a public worker?

It doesn't look like Santa Claus reports to anyone, so he is most likely an entrepreneur, and a very successful one at that: billions of people around the world have been loyal to his brand for a very long time. On the other hand, given his line of work, Santa can be called a social entrepreneur - at least corporate social responsibility is definitely present in his factory.

By the way, what about the elves? Do they get paid?

Exists theories about the conditions under which Santa's magical elves work. Given the number of gifts, these conditions can be monstrous: long shifts, short breaks, a strict boss. Do not forget that it is very cold at the North Pole, and the night lasts half a year, and there is also no state and courts that the elves could apply to in case of violation of their rights by Santa. It is not known if Santa pays a salary at all, but he certainly provides the elves with a place to sleep and food. It is also unknown if the elves can quit and leave the magical factory (or at least go on vacation), or if they are in the position of slaves there. The last option seems unlikely: it's hard to imagine that Santa, who spends his life making children around the world happy, could enslave these funny creatures. Most likely, the elves do not leave the North Pole just because they like their work.

Have you ever thought that Santa Claus was once a real person, that is, he had a historical prototype? I recently thought about it and decided to look into this issue.

Who is Santa Claus?

Santa Claus(English) Santa Claus ), i.e Saint Nicholas, - in the late North American tradition - a Christmas grandfather who gives gifts to children on Christmas. In England he is called Father Christmas- Father Christmas.

History of Santa Claus.

The prototype of Santa Claus is a common Christian saint (Santa is a saint, Claus is Nikolai). This Nicholas, Bishop of the city of Myra in the Asia Minor province of Lycia, was not at all like a smiling old man in a red cap and fur coat. Little is known about the life of this man, revered as a saint by both Catholics and Orthodox. Even the years of his life are set approximately.

He was probably born in 260 and possibly died in the 345th. His native province of Lycia was in the southwest of present-day Turkey. It is known that in his youth he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Egypt, that upon his return he became the head of the Christians of the city of Peace. In general, Christians attribute to Nicholas of Mirlikiy immeasurable kindness and love for people, and with or without occasion he showered them with gifts.

It was from this philanthropy that already in later times in Germany and Holland, where St. Nicholas ( Nikolaus - Klaus) was also highly revered, the custom went on the day of this saint, December 6, to make gifts to children on his behalf. After some time, the custom of giving gifts to children shifted for three weeks, to the Christmas holidays, but Saint Nicholas remained responsible for their presentation, Santa Claus in German.

Santa Claus in New York.

In 1626, several Dutch ships, led by the frigate Goede Vrove, on whose bow stood figure of saint nicholas arrived in the New World. Seekers of happiness bought land from the Indians for $24 and named the village New Amsterdam (now this village is called New York). The Dutch moved the figurine of the saint from the ship to the main square.

Yes, that's bad luck, the new inhabitants of the new land spoke not in English, but in their own way. And the phrase "Saint Nicholas" sounded like "Sinter Klass" - Sinterklaas. Then, over time, our character's name changed into "Santa Claas" and a little later in "Santa Claus".

Santa Claus by Thomas Nast

The image of modern Santa Claus.

An important stage in the reincarnation was the poem "The Parish of St. Nicholas", written Clement Clark Moore and published before the Christmas holidays of 1822. In twenty quatrains, it was told how on the eve of Christmas the baby met with the saint who brought him gifts.

The American poet depicted Santa Claus as cheerful, cheerful elf-buoyant with a round belly and a pipe in his mouth, from which he constantly emitted snow-white clouds of fragrant tobacco smoke.

In 1863, the famous American artist Nast Thomas, who worked for the publication of Harper Weekly ( Harper Weekly, based on the book by Clement Clark Moore, used the character of Santa Claus in a series of his political cartoons, in the form of a gift-giving hero.

The artist first mentioned that Santa lives at the North Pole, that he keeps a special book where he writes down the deeds of good and bad children, etc. In Nast's drawings, there was a gradual transformation of the appearance of Santa from a character in the form fat old elf in a fur suit to a more realistic and cheerful character in a sheepskin coat. And the red color of the fur coat and cap of Santa Claus was inherited from St. Nicholas, who was depicted in European icons in a red episcopal robe and in a headdress of the same color.

Transport Santa Claus.

1. Dasher ("Awesome")
2. Dancer ("Dancer"),
3. Prancer ("Prancing"),
4. Vixen ("Evil"),
5. Comet ("Comet"),
6. Kupid ("Cupid"),
7. Dander ("Doodlehead") and
8. Blixem ("Lightning").

These names first appeared in 1823, when the poem "The Night Before Christmas" was written:

Rudolf Red'Nosed Reindeer

Now Dasher!
Now, Dancer!
Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On Cupid!
On Dunder and Blixem!
To the top of the corruption!
To the top of the wall!
Now, dash away!
Dash away!
Dash away all!"

In 1939 appeared Rudolf- the ninth deer with a large shiny red nose.

Where does Santa Claus live?

Lapland officially proclaimed "Santa Claus Land" by the UN since 1984. There is also the residence of Santa Claus, where he lives all year round with dwarf helpers. Children from many countries write there at: Finland, 96930, Arctic Circle- or via the Internet: www.santamail.com

The veneration of St. Nicholas spread very quickly throughout the Christian world, both in the East and in the West. Numerous churches were dedicated to him, they turned to him in prayers, hoping for healing and help. From folk legends that have appeared over the centuries, we learn that St. Nicholas helped the poor and unfortunate, imperceptibly at night tossing gold coins into the shoes left at the door, and putting pies in the windows. By the way, around 960, the first piece of music about St. Nicholas was written in the West, where a new version of the translation of the life of the saint was proposed: instead of the word "innocentes" (innocent), in relation to the three inhabitants of the World, unjustly sentenced to death, "pueri" was used ( children). Due to the fact that this medieval piece of music about the holy bishop was an incredible success, the tradition of venerating St. Nicholas as the patron saint of children was born. However, even before that, sailors, prisoners, bakers and merchants had chosen him as their heavenly intercessor.

When the Seljuk Turks began to devastate Byzantium at the end of the 11th century, the inhabitants of the city of Bari, which is located on the territory of present-day Italy, "stole" the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycian and thereby saved the shrine revered by all Christians from abuse. The relics were brought to Bari, where a majestic basilica was built especially for them. Pilgrims from all European countries reached out to this hitherto unremarkable city. Even the invaders who succeeded each other, from the Normans to the Suebi, revered the sanctity of the St. Nicholas Church, providing him with all kinds of protection and care. When William the Cruel captured Bari in 1156, razing the city to the ground, sparing neither houses nor churches, the Basilica of Saint Nicholas was left untouched among the smoking ruins. There is another significant moment associated with the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas. In 1088, Pope Urban II officially fixed the celebration of this event on May 9th. In the Byzantine east, this holiday was not accepted, but in Russia it became widespread and has survived to this day, among the people it is called "Nikola-Spring".

In Russia, St. Nicholas was one of the most revered saints. For example, in the 16th-17th centuries, Russians avoided giving their children the name Nikolai because of their special reverence, and disrespect for the Wonderworker was perceived only as a sign of heresy. For Russian Orthodox Christians, Nicholas became the most "democratic" saint, the most accessible, quick and indispensable helper. Best of all, one of the countless Russian legends shows the attitude towards this saint: “Traveling the earth, Nikola and Kasyan (Saint Cassian of Rome) saw a peasant bustling around his cart, deeply mired in mud. Kasyan, afraid to stain his snow-white robes and afraid to stand before God in an inappropriate form, he did not want to help the poor fellow, but Nikola, without reasoning, got down to business. When the cart was pulled out, the assistant turned out to be smeared with mud up to his ears, and besides, his festive robes were severely torn. Soon both saints appeared before the throne of the Most High Having learned why Nikola is so dirty, and Kasyan is clean, the Lord gave the first two holidays a year instead of one (May 9 and December 6), and reduced Kasyan to one every four years (February 29). and a prominent hierarch, and a simple, kind saint, and besides, an ambulance in trouble.

However, we digress. How did Saint Nicholas turn into Santa Claus and become strongly associated with the Christmas holidays? To deal with this, we need to go back to the Christian West.

Around the 10th century, in the Cologne Cathedral, fruits and pastries began to be distributed to the students of the parochial school on December 6, the day of memory of St. children. Soon this tradition went far beyond the boundaries of the German city. Remembering ancient legends, they began to hang specially made shoes or stockings in houses at night, so that Nikolai had somewhere to put his gifts, which over time had already noticeably outgrown the framework of buns and fruits, although sometimes he still can’t do without them. It is worth noting that the day of the saint's memory falls on the Advent fast, when everyone is looking forward to the Joyful Feast of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word and the beginning of the New Year. Apparently, in this regard, the Bishop of Myrlik, who enters houses at night, brings gifts to obedient children, and rods to naughty ones, thereby reminding them of the need for good behavior. Therefore, the children, long before the holiday, try not to misbehave, and parents diligently, at every opportunity, remind them of the rods, which can be received as a present on December 6th. However, it is not uncommon for gifts to be attached to rods or a twig wrapped in foil or painted in gold or silver paint. In some countries, the holy bishop does not hide and comes to houses not at night, but during the day in full liturgical vestments, and not alone, but with an angel and an imp. The head of this unusual company asks the young inhabitants of the house about their behavior, with the angel and imp acting as a lawyer and prosecutor, respectively, and then, according to the results of a peculiar investigation, a gift is given (or not).

The Reformation, which arose in the 16th century thanks to the speech of Martin Luther, excluded the veneration of saints from the liturgy of the new Churches. Together with their cult, the feast of St. Nicholas also disappeared. But if it is easy to eradicate anything on paper, then it is more than difficult to fight folk traditions. Therefore, in the so-called "Catholic" countries, there is still the feast of St. Nicholas, joyfully celebrated on December 6, and in Protestant countries, the miracle-working bishop has changed into a slightly different character, still bringing gifts and joy to children. Thanks to all sorts of folk legends and traditions from different countries, St. Nicholas put on the mask of either the "Father of Christmas", or the "Christmas grandfather", or the "Astrologer"! He was depicted as a gnome and an old man, acquired various companions. Yes, and moved from the Mediterranean city to the Arctic Lapland.

Saint Nicholas came to North America, which played an important role in the history of the Christmas miracle worker, from Holland. In 1626, several Dutch ships, led by the frigate "Goede Vrove", on the bow of which stood the figure of St. Nicholas, arrived in the New World. Seekers of happiness bought land from the Indians for $24 and named the village New Amsterdam (now this village is called New York). The Dutch moved the figurine of the saint from the ship to the main square. Yes, that's bad luck, the inhabitants of the new earth did not say in English. And the phrase "St. Nicholas" sounded like "Sinter Klass", then, over time, the name of our character changed into "Santa Klass", and a little later - into "Santa Claus".

Dutch Sintaklaas (Sinterklaas)

What does Santa Claus look like? This question worries almost all boys and girls who live in the last days in anticipation of the upcoming New Year. Santa Claus is the western analogue of our Father Frost. He also comes to the children, only at Christmas, not New Year's, and gives gifts. They have many differences. One of them is that it is not known for certain which area to consider his homeland. If Santa Claus comes from Veliky Ustyug, then his western counterpart is either from the vicinity of the North Pole, or from Lapland.

Appearance

Everyone who has seen him at least once knows what Santa Claus looks like. Outwardly, he is very different from the familiar and close to us Santa Claus. What Santa Claus looks like and where he lives, you will learn from this article.

If Santa Claus has a beard that grows almost to the toes, then Santa Claus always has a neat and short beard. Santa Claus walks in felt boots, and Santa Claus always wears boots. Santa Claus travels on foot, while his western counterpart rides in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, each of which has its own name.

To find out what a real Santa Claus looks like, just look at any of his images. The Western New Year and Christmas wizard has a neat jacket with a belt, but the domestic Santa Claus puts on a warm sheepskin coat with a sash.

In addition, it is easy to recognize him, since the Santa Claus costume always looks the same. It only comes in red. But Santa Claus has clothes that are both blue and red. Describing what the Santa Claus hat looks like, it is worth noting that he has a cap with a neat fur trim. Comparing with Santa Claus, it must be said that the latter has a mandatory attribute - a fur hat.

How is Santa Claus different from Santa Claus? Another fundamental point is that the Western wizard has a bad habit. Often he can be seen with a pipe, which he smokes non-stop.

Describing what Santa Claus and Santa Claus look like, it must be recognized that the differences between them are very significant. They make it easy to distinguish one from the other.

Origin

The way Santa Claus looks has a lot to do with his origin story. The prototype of a good grandfather with gifts is the Christian Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, who is revered by both Catholics and Orthodox. The saint himself became famous primarily for the fact that he devoted much time and attention to charity. With secret gifts, he often helped poor people who had children.

Initially, Saint Nicholas Day was celebrated on December 6th. It was then that in European countries it was customary to give gifts on his behalf. Everything changed during the Reformation. The veneration of saints was no longer encouraged. Therefore, in Germany and some neighboring countries, they began to distribute gifts to children on behalf of the baby Jesus Christ. And the day of their delivery was postponed to December 24, when Christmas markets were organized everywhere.

When the time of the Counter-Reformation came, the children were again given gifts on behalf of St. Nicholas, already directly at Christmas. Only a few European countries have preserved ancient traditions. For example, in Holland, kids are waiting for surprises not only at Christmas, but also on December 6, St. Nicholas Day.

Santa Claus in the USA

It is noteworthy that it was the Dutch colonists who brought this image to the New World. It happened in the middle of the 17th century. In America, Santa Claus first settled in the settlement of New Amsterdam, present-day New York. There, for the first time, they began to replicate what Santa Claus looks like.

An important stage in the formation of this character is considered to be 1809, when the book "History of New York", written by the famous American writer Washington Irving, told about the times of Dutch rule, it separately mentions how St. Nicholas was honored in New Amsterdam.

Transformation of Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus

In 1822, in fact, the biography of this hero began in American literature. Columbia University teacher Clement Clark Moore wrote a Christmas story for children, in which he spoke in detail about this character, who always brings gifts to children who behaved well in the past year. Shortly before Christmas, the poem was published in the local press under the title "The Night Before Christmas, or the Visit of Saint Nicholas". It became very popular and was reprinted several times. Many today argue that it was thanks to Clement Moore that Saint Nicholas was finally transformed in the minds of millions into Santa Claus. By 1840, almost all the inhabitants of the New World knew who Santa Claus was.

Another important point: it was in this poem that the transport of the fairy-tale wizard was first described. It was pointed out that he travels through the sky on a sleigh pulled by deer.

Popularity of Santa

In 1863, the American artist Thomas Nast used this character in a series of his political cartoons. It was he who presented him in the image of a hero who gives gifts to children. Santa Claus has become very popular. Nast, in fact, made a name for himself on this. In the years that followed, he produced a large number of drawings intended for children, which presented the life of Santa Claus in funny scenes. In his works, he began to ponder and describe in detail the life and habits of a good wizard.

It was then that a version appeared that Santa's homeland is the North Pole, where he has a special dwelling. In it, he keeps records in a special book in which he writes down all the bad and good deeds of children from all over the world. According to these drawings, one can clearly trace the transformation of this image from the fat elderly elf that he was originally presented to, to a more realistic and human character, which is very similar to our modern Santa Claus.

It is believed that Nast almost completely copied this character from himself. He, too, was a plump and well-fed man, very small in stature, but at the same time with a wide spade beard and large lush mustaches.

Santa Claus in the 19th century

In general, I wonder what Santa Claus looked like in the 19th century. Initially, he was portrayed as a kind elf, who appears on Christmas Eve in a cart drawn by deer. At the same time, it enters the house through the chimney.

Some historians note that the Confederates were absolutely demoralized when they saw that Santa was depicted on the side of the enemy.

There is even a legend that Lincoln, during the Revolutionary Civil War, asked Nast to portray Santa Claus along with the northerners. Its only drawback at the time was that Santa remained in black and white for a long time. The famous red coat he got only in 1885 thanks to the publisher Louis Prang. It was he who brought to America the tradition of Christmas cards, which were customary in Victorian England. They were made using the technique of color lithography, so it soon became necessary to figure out what color the clothes of the hero of our article would be. So he got a bright red outfit.

The development of the image of the wizard

In 1930, the image of Santa was further developed. All thanks to the advertising campaign of a major manufacturer of American soft drinks. They decided on a clever trick so that their products were remembered all year round, and not just during the Christmas period.

The red and white labels of the drink reminded marketers of Santa's similar attire. Chicago-based illustrator Haddon Sundblom has consistently drawn a new winter wizard every year for the next 30 years. He turned into a giant, similar to his neighbor Lou Prentice. It was Sandblom who drew the ninth deer in a harness, which he named Rudolf.

Image transformation

Interestingly, the original Santa in Nast's illustrations was invariably brown. Only over time it began to acquire reddish hues. At the same time, many researchers of the biography of this character argued that the red color itself does not carry any semantic load.

Only after the advertising campaign, in which Sundblom participated, the Santa suit was depicted only in red. In a sheepskin coat of the same kind, he was depicted on the covers of the popular American humor magazine Pak, which was published at the beginning of the 20th century.

Santa Transport

Santa gets to his wards, to whom he brings gifts, on a sleigh pulled by deer. Interestingly, each of them has its own name. There were originally eight. Their names were Swift, Lightning, Dancer, Thunder, Prancing, Cupid, Grumpy, and Comet.

In 1823, another deer named Rudolph appeared in the poem "The Night Before Christmas". It is noteworthy that it was he who became today the most popular among all Santa's reindeer. He is at the head of the team, distinguished from the rest by a bright red nose.

And another interesting fact about Santa Claus. In 1955, his image was used in the entertainment program of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. In it, one could observe the fictional movements of Santa's sleigh. This was reported by the media, they could even be followed by a special hotline.

Santa Claus remains a popular character today, regularly featured in promotions, movies, and animated series.