Santa Claus, also known as “Father Christmas” or “Père Noel”, is a legendary figure who gifts children many different presents every year on Christmas Eve. Those who behaved well throughout the year are rewarded while the bad kids are left empty-handed. It is a tradition that is practiced in The United States, The United Kingdom, and many other countries, even Mauritius.
The real story behind Santa Claus started from a person named St Nicholas who was a 4th century Christian/ Greek saint in modern-day Turkey. He was known mostly for his kindness towards people as he helped an uncountable number of people out of poverty and provided them with what they needed.
His parents left him with a large inheritance and shortly after they died, Nicholas made good use of it. He did so by honoring God and offering generous gifts to people. The story of giving presents on Christmas eve started with a poor man who had three daughters. His daughters could not get married as the poor man did not have enough money as dowry. One night, Nicholas left a bag of gold secretly down their chimney, and with this, all the three daughters got married.
After many years, Nicholas became renowned for his generosity and was known as the protector of sailors and children. At 76 years old, on December 6 343 AD, he, unfortunately, passed away in Turkey. His feast day is celebrated on his death anniversary and it is traditionally considered lucky to make wholesale purchases or get married. He can say that he made the most out of his time being alive and he will forever be remembered.
Writer: GHOORBIN Getisha
Editors: MULUNG Bibi Oorshia,VALLIGAN Simran