M. Richard Maxson and
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
St. Nicholas is the patron of Russia,
of sailors and children, the benevolent figure who brings gifts on
December 6th, December 25th or on January 6th, depending on the country
and the religion / culture.
Saint Nicholas existed in the flesh. He
was born in Mira, Asia Minor, the city of which he became Bishop, in the
fourth century AD. He became tied to gift-giving due to the many
stories of his generosity, as he distributed his considerable wealth
among the poor and in favor of social causes.
Originally, gifts were given on the 6th
of December (Saint Nicholas' Day) but this was changed when in the
fourth century, Pope Julius (337-352) set the 25th of December as the
day of the birth of Jesus, because it was a day that coincided with the
Roman festival of Saturnalia, and the Germanic and Celtic pagan
festivities of the winter Solstice (December 21). It was in the
thirteenth century that the habit of building cribs to celebrate
Christ's birth began.
The Orthodox Church then changed this festival to the Day of Epiphany
(day of the adoration, the 6th of January), when the Three Kings/Wise
Men/Zoroastrian astrologists brought presents for the baby Jesus in the
stable. It is on this day that Christmas is celebrated in Russia,
but who brings the gifts are Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), and
Snegoroshka (The Snow Girl). Ded Moroz is perhaps the original Santa
Claus, with his white long beard and his long clothes. Traditionally, he
was clad in different colored robes but in the west, the Coca-Cola
campaign of the 1920s saw him become accepted and customized in red and
white.
New Year was originally celebrated on
April 1, not January 1. In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII ordered the
Gregorian Calendar to replace the Julian one and this new calendar
called for New Year to be celebrated in January. April 1 was near the time of the Vernal Equinox
(March 21) and is the time of the rebirth of agriculture, celebrated by
fertility festivals from February (Carnival) onwards, until Easter
(which takes its name from the Pagan Fertility Goddess Eostre, depicted
on rock engravings holding the symbol of fertility, a rabbit and the
symbol of eternity, an egg). The beginning of April
coinciding with the fertility festivals, it is likely that in popular
cultural expressions, dances, songs and games were performed, along with
dressing up in costumes to represent good (fertility) spirits. Some say that the newly
enlightened, more educated people accepted this date and the
traditionalists in the countryside did not, and as they retained April
1, they were called fools or liars.
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