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MORELegends of St. Nicholas
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In the midst of a terrible famine, a butcher lured three young children into his shop where he placed them in a barrel of brine to cure. St. Nicholas caught wind of this horrific deed and proceeded to resurrect the children through prayer.
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Patron of children, seafarers, scholars, bankers, pawnbrokers, jurists, brewers, coopers, travelers, perfumers, unmarried girls, brides, robbers and murderers.
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During and after his lifetime there were many acts and miracles attributed to Nicholas, the most famous being his aid to the poor man with three marriageable daughters. To marry at that time, a young woman was expected to have a dowry provided by her family. Without a dowry all three daughters would remain unmarried and their future; bleak. When Nicholas discovered the father's difficulty he decided he would secretly help. During the night, Nicholas threw three purses filled with gold coins through the open window of the poor man's home, one for each of the daughters. There are several versions of this story but the most important thing in each is Nicholas' generosity, especially to those in need. As patron to the poor he became patron as well to pawnbrokers; the three golden balls, symbol of pawnbrokers, represent the three bags of gold given to the poor man with his daughters. Nicholas' deed performed in secret inspired others to do the same. Often these gifts were attributed to St. Nicholas, even after he died.
Nicholas achieved sainthood long before canonization procedure were formalized. He was venerated by the local people and, due to his popularity with seafarers, the stories of this deeds and miracles were spread far beyond Myra. In time over 2000 churches were dedicated to St. Nicholas with nearly 400 being in England. He became a saint for the people by showing how people ought to live.
What did Saint Nicholas look like?
St. Nicholas' tomb in Myra became a popular place of pilgrimage. Because of the many wars and attacks in the region, some Christians were concerned that access to the tomb might become difficult. For both religious and commercial advantages of a major pilgrimage site, the Italian cities of Venice and Bari vied to get the Nicholas relics. In the spring of 1087, sailors from Bari succeeded in spiriting away the bones and bringing them to Bari, a seaport on the southeast coast of Italy.
An impressive church was built over St. Nicholas' crypt there and many faithful make the journey to Bari to honor the saint. During the 1950's, the bones of Saint Nicholas were removed from the Bari crypt when the crypt was repaired. The Vatican allowed anatomy professor Luigi Martino from the University of Bari with a hand picked team of scientists to photograph, x-ray and measure the skull and other bones.
In the summer of 2005, expert facial anthropology, Caroline Wilkinson, from the University of Manchester in England, was asked to recreate the head of Nicholas using the data collected in the 1950's.
Using state-of-the-art computer software she was able to construct a model of the Saint's head. The model was given Greek Mediterranean olive-toned skin, brown eyes, and gray hair and beard, trimmed in the 4th century fashion. The completed images is of a late middle-aged man of Greek descent, 5-feet 6-inches tall, who had a heavy jaw and a badly broken nose. Click Here to see the results.
Death of a Saint
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The Church of St. Nicholas in Myra, modern day Kale, or Demre, Turkey, was build in the 6th century AD over where the saint was laid to rest. The church has been damaged, repaired and rebuilt many times and much of what is still standing today was built in the 9th century AD. The church only holds one service a year, which occurs on December 6th in honor of the saint for which it is named.
A New Home for St. Nick
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A Miraculous Discovery
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liquid flowed from his relics. This liquid, known as manna or myrrh, is said to have miraculous powers. Even today a flask of manna is retrieved from the relics on the saint's feast day, December 6th and a flask of the liquid leads the parade procession to his church in Myra for the yearly services in his honor.
An Image in Transition
One of the pagan idols that became part of St. Nicholas' new image came from Scandinavia. The idol was said to herd the people's reindeer to lower pastures in preparation for the coming winter. These people often lived in dome shaped houses with one hole at the top that was used for a door as well as a chimney, possibly originating the story of Santa coming through the chimney.
Exploration in His Name
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In 1626 a fleet of Dutch ships lead by the 'Goede Vrowe' (Good Wife has the best replika handtaschen Hermes), which had a figurehead of St. Nicholas, left Holland for the New World. They purchased some land from the Iroquois for $24, named the village New Amsterdam, now New York, and erected a statue in the square to St. Nicholas.
The Imprisonment of an Icon
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In 1678 AD a book was published called The examination and Tryal of Old Father Christmas. Together With His Clearing by the Jury.
An American Portrait
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In 1821 a professor and reverend, Clement Clark Moore, compiled the elements of European lore, deities and fold-characters, and descriptions from the N. Y. Historical Society and Washington Irving. From these he composed a poem that would be the gospel of Santa Claus. The poem was entitled A visit From St. Nicholas or The Night Before Christmas.
Santa in Our Stores
Macy's claims to have began the tradition in the 1870's, but Bob Rutan, Macy's historian, admits that H. R. Macy took the idea from Edgar. Macy's Santa came in the form we know today, where children sit on Santa's lap and give him their holiday wish list.
Early Christmas Cards
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In 1873 Louis Prang published the first American Christmas card. The car was about the size of a business card and contained a greeting that read: "A Happy Christmas to You!".
In 1863 Thomas Nast published a political cartoon of Santa entitled "Santa in Camp". for Harpers Weekly Journal. Dressed in stars and stripes, Santa had joined the civil war on the side of General Grant and the North. Nast continued to draw Santa Claus every year, and became the Santa Claus artist of the mid-1900's in America.
In the early 1920's Norman Rockwell created a perfect blend of saintly and jolly when he created Santa for the Saturday Evening Post.
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