The curious mixture of pagan, fairy-tale and Christian traditions make our celebrations of the Nativity very interesting in this country, besides the plethora of green trees and decorations, chief amongst the make-believe is that genial rubicund figure of Santa Claus, a product largely stemming from North America and hugely successful in outreach. But behind this, the real Santa Claus exists the person of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the Wonderworker, whose feast we celebrate today; a much beloved saint in West and East.  But who was he? Is there anything that links him to the evocative imagery of this season, and in particular the figure of a jolly Santa Claus doling out presents? Let us see!

A life following Christ

Nicholas was born in the 3^rd century, at Patara, a maritime town in Licia, southern Turkey, in the third century. He is reputed to have come from a good family that was fairly well-to-do, but also Christian; the faith he was brought up in. It is also said that his life, from his earliest days, was marked by a particular fidelity to the gospel. Orphaned at a young age, Nicholas, like Anthony the Great and the later Francis, followed the command of Jesus to the rich young man in the Gospel, and used his inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the poor; a pattern of generous giving that seems to have marked his life as priest and bishop. He was elected Bishop of Myra, and under the emperor Diocletian was exiled and suffered imprisonment.  After being freed, he is one of those who attended the Council of Nicea in 325. He died in Myra on 6 December 343.

Defender of the oppressed, protector of the poor.

But where is the connection with this season? The hint has already been given – generosity of spirit towards the poor and needy! There are many tales that have been handed down about Nicholas, all testifying to a life spent in service to the weak, the small, and the defenceless but done with the minimum of fuss, often secretly. In particular there are three stories that mark him out as a protector of the vulnerable children of our world.

The first tale

The first is also a tale with a direct connection with the later image of a Santa Claus coming down the chimney with gifts:

This ancient story about Saint Nicholas involves a man with three daughters of marriageable age. The family was poor, and the young girls were in danger of being forced into prostitution, because their father could not afford to offer a suitable dowry. One night, Nicholas went to the family’s home and threw a bag of coins through the open window (or some traditions have it that it landed in the hearth) and then he fled before he could be identified. With the money, the father was able to procure a marriage for his eldest daughter. Nicholas returned twice more, always at night so that he could not be identified. But the third time, the father rushed out of the house to identify his mysterious benefactor. Nicholas begged him not to tell anyone what he had done. Somehow it is this act that identifies the origin of the chimney and gifts belonging to the more exotic character of children’s tales. But it does hold a real challenge-a reminder of what we should and can be for others.

In a Church where we have had to examine the dreadful consequences of abuse of minors or of vulnerable persons, Nicholas is a good saint to ask for help, for he is a reminder what our vocation must be: protectors not oppressors of the little ones; defenders and upholders of what is good and noble in human life.  In the story the girls were rescued from a life that would have been amongst the most degrading, but it still exists in human trafficking and slavery. That Nicholas is remembered for giving them a future is a mirror held up to our own care of the vulnerable. It is also, dare I say, a reminder to those of us who are ordained, that not all of us are bad, that our vocation is still worthwhile and valuable, even if like Nicholas we might not be openly known for our service for and with others.

Two other tales

The other two great tales place him in the category of a Saint in touch with Christ, open to the spirit. One story relates the fate of three young theologians travelling to Athens. They stopped at an inn, where they were robbed and killed by the innkeeper, who then hid their bodies in a barrel. Saint Nicholas, then a bishop, stopped at the same inn when he travelled to Athens. In a dream, he saw the crime that had been committed by his host. Saint Nicholas prayed for them all, with the miraculous restoration of the three young men to life, but also the conversion of the wicked innkeeper. Whilst this may take us into the realms of complex medieval hagiography, nevertheless at the heart of the tale is a deeper reality, whatever may have actually happened, the intercession of Nicholas is connected to the graciousness of Christ who brings all to resurrection, but in this case vicarious justice is wrought, the forgotten and hidden are brought to life in Christ. In a gospel twist, the wicked innkeeper repents, the justice of Christ is like that given to the prodigal son; it is not destructive but restorative.

A third story tells how Saint Nicholas freed a young boy, Basileos, who had been kidnapped from his home in Myra, and forced to serve as a cup-bearer for a foreign potentate. While his parents prayed for his safety, Saint Nicholas appeared to Basileos, and miraculously restored him to his family – still holding the potentate’s golden cup. Again look beyond the written tale to the gospel story; the message is at the heart of the Good News; through the intercession of the righteous, captives are freed, and slavery is abolished in Christ’s Kingdom.

There are other tales too, which show Nicholas an exemplar of true pastoral care for those of us who are called into ministry, but also a barometer of our own generosity. Being bishop of a maritime port his care for the seafarers and obvious connection with them allowed many more acts of kindness, so much so that he is the adopted patron saint of sea farers.

Patron of many things

St Nicholas became the patron saint of children, the poor, and of destitute women. Coming from the seaport town of Patara he was also adopted by seamen and merchants. It is via this latter connection that he was particularly popular in Holland. Today in Amsterdam, and other ports, on December 5th – the eve of St Nicholas’ feast day – a ship carrying Sinterklaas (Sint-Nicolaas ) arrives and  huge numbers of people come to see his arrival and the parade through the streets of the city. There is gift giving, and special food, including tangerines which represent the gold that St Nicholas gave for the three daughters’ dowries.

His feast is also celebrated in many other European Countries. In England the Reformation changed the pattern of our festivals, but in many places dedicated to him some kind of festival remained,

But how do we get to the jolly Fr Christmas with his elves and reindeer? That comes from North America, where St Nicholas emerged as a rather secular Santa Claus through an illustrated Children’s book published in 1821, the Children’s Friend which portrayed him as the ‘Father Christmas’ with reindeer from the North. A poem, The Night Before Christmas’, published in 1823 added elves to the description, and this, along with his gifts of presents for children and various new robes, caught the imagination of many and so ‘Santa’ was born.

Defender of the faith

This is all well and good, and I hope gives us a real connection to the saint and the coming season of the great Nativity feasts, it allows us to rehabilitate a genuine person as the generous gift and present bearer especially to the ‘have nots’ of this world, but it also allows into our faith journey something too often missing, a sense of fun in each others company. Be that as it may, there is also one other element to the Nicholas story that needs to be told. He was a patoir and a teacher and as bishop attended the great Council of Nicaea of 325, which we will celebrate in a big way this coming  year. He is certainly listed amongst the participants, but tradition holds that he argued with Arius and lost his temper, striking Arius in the face. This ungracious act was forgiven, some tried to gloss it over as a sign of his deep attachment to the person and nature of Christ, nevertheless it is a reminder that every saint, just like  us, is human with faults as well as virtues. It is a reminder that we cannot go it alone without the help of God; zeal for the Lord cannot be translated into violence; which is perhaps  the lesson of Nicaea, that in the end dialogue and informed, intelligent persuasion, not force, is the way of salvation.

Nicholas is a favoured saint in East and West, but why was the bishop of Myra moved to Bari? Between 1081 and 1118, Myra was overtaken by Islamic invaders, this time the Seljuk Turks. In the confusion, sailors from Bari in Italy seized the relics of Saint Nicholas, and spirited the remains away to Bari, where they arrived on May 9, 1087, and where they remain to this day. It is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics and Orthodox alike. His church at Myra, now Demre, has been excavated and partially restored and the Turkish Government allows the religious celebration of the Saint by the Orthodox to take place.

Generous of spirit, open hearted to others, and deeply commited to Christ are the gifts Nicholas gives us. May we celebrate him with joy and let his story help us in the coming Nativity season.

Amen