Papá Noel, Santa Claus

Papá Noel, Santa Claus, son los nombres con los que se conoce en el mundo hispano al personaje legendario que según la cultura occidental trae regalos a los niños por Navidad.

Es un personaje inspirado en un obispo cristiano de origen griego llamado Nicolás, que vivió en el siglo IV en Anatolia, en los valles de Licia (en la actual Turquía). Era una de las personas más veneradas por los cristianos de la Edad Media, del que aún hoy se conservan sus reliquias en la basílica de Bari (Italia).

 

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply "Santa" is a historical, legendary and mythological character believed by many children to bring gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.^[1]

The popular North American form Santa Claus originated as a mispronunciation of Dutch Sinterklaas, which in turn is a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas)^{[citation needed]}. However, the Dutch Sinterklaas is depicted as being very different from Santa Claus in many ways. Santa Claus has a suit that comes in many colors depending on the country^{[citation needed]}. The most common depiction (red with white cuffs, collar, and black leather belt) became the more popular image in the United States in the mid-to-late 19th century due to the significant influence of Dave's Mum.