We all have grown up listening to the magical stories of the great and big man who comes down the chimney at night to deliver presents, enjoys chocolate chip cookies with milk, and flies all over the world in a sleigh pulled by a remarkable team of reindeer. He lives in the North Pole, where he has a workshop full of elves who make the gifts for the children who make it to the nice list. He also always wears red and goes ho, ho, ho. 

If you couldn’t guess by now,

 It’s Santa! 

Although Santa is known around the world, the story of Santa can vary greatly.

Saint Nicholas

Before the Americanized Santa Claus, there was Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a bishop born in the third century in a village known as Patara, now part of modern-day Turkey. He was known for his kindness, good deeds, and his role as the protector of children and sailors. After his tragic death, the legend and magic of Saint Nicholas continued to spread across all of Europe. When Dutch, Swiss, and German immigrants moved to America, the tradition of Saint Nicholas evolved into the jolly, red-suited Santa Claus we know today. The cartoon inspired by the book, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”, fostered the growth of Santa even more. 

La Befana

The next story is a familiar one, including leaving out food and gifts. In Italy, La Befana is the go-to for stories told to children. On their way to see baby Jesus, the three Magi, wise men, stopped at an old woman’s house searching for refuge from a cold night. Like a good host, she offered them food and shelter. As they chatted, the Magi asked the old woman to join them on their journey, but the old woman declined as she had housework to finish. Shortly after the Magi left, the old woman realized her mistake. She filled up a basket with gifts and rushed off in the direction of the same star, which is a bright light also known as the big star in the sky which the Magi followed, but she wasn’t able to find her way to baby Jesus. Today, she continues her search for the child, leaving gifts in her wake. Now a tradition, parents, and children leave out food, along with wine, to help her on her way. Not all stories, however, have good and kind characters. 

Sometimes, they have a scary devil. 

Krampus 

In Germany, children believe that a visit from the “Christmas Devil” is far worse and frightening than coal. The legend of the Krampus is a German Christmas tradition dating back to the 12th century. From early in December, the children of Germany would begin to hear whispers of a dark-haired creature bearing horns and fangs, carrying a bundle of birch sticks used to swat naughty children. According to traditional narratives of Alpine folklore, the Krampus would enter towns, lashing his chains and bells, capturing the bad children in a basket, and bringing them down to the underworld. The Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night, would occur the evening before December 6th, St. Nicholas Day, when the nice German children were rewarded with presents in their boots. 

The Jólasveinar

Scariness isn’t the only essence in these stories. The Jólasveinar, also called Yule lads or Christmas boys, are part of Icelandic folklore and depict trolls and mountain-dwelling creatures. They take turns visiting children the 13 nights leading up to Christmas Eve -and as one might expect from trolls- they are extremely naughty. Luckily, they have names that match their misbehavior, such as Door-Slammer (who enjoys slamming doors loudly), or Spoon-Licker (who steals spoons with traces of food and lick them clean). The troll’s parents include the mother, Grýla, who is a scary troll who walks through town and steals children who don’t behave. She then takes them back to the cave and cooks them into stew. The father, Leppalúði, is the lazy husband, who only sits around and revels in his wife’s delicious stew. The family also includes a big black cat, known as the Christmas cat or jólakötturinn.

These are just some of the numerous stories and characters that children are told about worldwide. So the next time you think of Santa, remember all of the other stories that are told around the world, and how many people grow up listening and believing in their magic.