In germany what do they call santa

The festive season in Germany starts early, with Nikolaustag — St. Nicholas Day — on 6th December. It is thought that St. In some parts of Germany, das Christkind Christ child is thought to bring children presents on Christmas Eve. Children also write to him asking for presents before Christmas. They even decorate their letters by gluing sugar to the envelope! In other parts of the country, der Weihnachtsmann Santa Claus is the one who brings presents to the children.

In Italy, Babbo Natale is thought to deliver presents at Christmas. Italian families start collecting presents at the start of December and they are opened either on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning.

But Christkind was still a name with religious meaning, which non-religious Germans wanted to avoid, so they created a more secular figure, Weihnachtsmann , who is basically a German adaptation of Santa Claus in America.

English may be the shared language of the United States and England, but we all know there are many differences in the way it's spoken. There are also different meanings behind certain words, depending on which country you're in.

In England, for example, french fries are "chips," elevators are "lifts," and cookies are "biscuits. And yet, Father Christmas actually comes from a very different set of traditions. When the Germanic Saxons came to England in the 5th and 6th centuries, they personified winter in the form of a figure known as King Frost. And later, when the Vikings arrived, they brought their ideas about the Norse god Odin, considered to be father of all the gods, who had a long white beard and was known for distributing goods to people he deemed worthy.

When Father Christmas was born into English lore, he was constructed using pieces of both King Frost and Odin , among other ancient figures. It was believed they presented gifts to baby Jesus in the manger, and in that tradition, they are said to still bring gifts to Spanish children today. But while the Germans eventually made their version of young Jesus an angelic child, in Latin America, they remain committed to the original concept: a magic infant who delivers presents to good boys and girls.

Of course, Santa Claus doesn't limit himself to the Western world. Japan has not one, but two Santa Clauses. Thanks to a s marketing campaign that has forever joined Christmas with KFC in the Japanese consciousness, he is sometimes confused with fried chicken icon Colonel Sanders. Yes, really. He's just as round as Santa and just as jolly, but he has one thing Santa doesn't: Eyes in the back of his head that allow him to see when Japanese children are misbehaving.

But he looks and does things a tad differently than other Santas: The tall, slender figure wears blue, not red, and comes out on New Year's Eve, not Christmas Eve. Despite their many names, they are all basically the same mythic character. But few of them have anything to do with the real Saint Nicholas Sankt Nikolaus or der Heilige Nikolaus , who was probably born around C.

Very little solid historical evidence exists for the man who later became the Bishop of Myra and the patron saint of children, sailors, students, teachers, and merchants. He is credited with several miracles and his feast day is December 6, which is the main reason he is connected with Christmas.

Nowadays, St. Nicholas Day der Nikolaustag on Dec. Nicholas of Myra is believed to be the historical source of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, sailors, students, teachers, and merchants. Although Austria is mostly Catholic, Germany is almost evenly divided between Protestants and Catholics along with some minority religions.

So in Germany there are both Catholic katholisch and Protestant evangelisch Christmas customs. When Martin Luther , the great Protestant Reformer, came along, he wanted to get rid of the Catholic elements of Christmas. Besides the Catholic and Protestant aspects, Germany is a country of many regions and regional dialects, making the question of who Santa Claus is even more complicated.

On top of that, there are both religious and secular German Christmas customs. That American Santa Claus has really gotten around! Four main names Weihnachtsmann , Nickel , Klaus , Niglo are spread out from the north to the south, from west to east.

Hans Trapp is just one name for the frightening figure who accompanies St. Nicholas on December 6. Dressed like a bishop in a white garment, Nicholas usually arrives with a companion. His companion goes by many names, depending on the region. In some cases Krampus, for instance the figure frightens children both with its monstrous appearance and its threatening behavior.

This is no jolly, smiling elf. This is more like a devil. Who are these nasty guys? He might also knock on the door and the children will have to sing a song, play a song on an instrument or tell a story to St Nicholas before he gives them their presents.

Nicholas on the 6th of December. He is big horned monster clothed in rags and carries chains. He is meant to punish the children who have been bad! He is usually the one who scares the little children. In other parts of Germany, St. Nicholas is followed by a small person called "Schwarzer Peter" Black Peter who carries a small whip. Black Peter also accompanies St. Nicholas or Sinterklaas in The Netherlands. In north west Germany Santa is joined by Belsnickel a man dressed all in fur.

Although 'der Nikolaus' visits in December, he's not officially part of Christmas! At small work places and school parties, secret presents are often exchanged. A door is opened just wide enough for small presents to be thrown into the room.