Turkey’s Red & White Saint
Merry Xmas
Staying with the theme of Turkey, the St Nicholas’ Festival is particularly fascinating. To my surprise the original Santa Claus comes from Demre (previously known as Myra) in Turkey. From a series of kind charitable acts, the legend of Santa Claus rose from humble origins to international fame.
St. Nicholas was a 4th century Christian Bishop. He was known as St. Nicholas of Myra in the then province of Byzantine Anatolia which is now in modern day Turkey. The story goes that he used to leave gifts for young women who did not have the means to get a wedding dowry. In those days, with no dowry, a woman’s fate was to be sold into slavery or to work in the whore houses. As a wealthy man, St. Nicholas would go to the homes where these girls were living and throw a purse of money through the window. It is said that they landed in shoes and stockings which were left drying by the fireside. This led to our modern day custom of hanging Xmas stockings. There are many stories of his great deeds from saving his people from famine to helping poor families, widows and children, especially orphans. He was called Noel Baba, and today in the square in front of the church in Demre there is a large statue dedicated to him. He is portrayed as being a tall and thin man, not short and rotund as the Americanisation of Santa Claus has evolved.
St. Nicholas’ Festival is celebrated in his hometown with a bountiful feast which takes place at the Martyrium Church where the Saint’s tomb lies. Pilgrims place candles on his crypt as the faithful honour the Saint who helped his peoples, especially the young. There is a special non-denominational service held at the church and everyone is welcome to take part in the celebrations. The festival runs for four days and is great fun for all faiths, young and old.
St Nicholas’ tomb was a popular pilgimage site and many Christians felt access to it was becoming more and more difficult due to the many attacks and wars in the area. To resolve this problem, Italian sailors made a large hole in the side of the tomb and spirited away his remains to Bari on the south east coast of Italy. Luckily some bones were left in his tomb, and today some of St. Nicholas of Myra’s remains are to be found at the Antalya Museum.
From the middle ages to the present day, Santa Claus has become a much loved figure in the world. His generosity and care, especially for the children continues to inspire the world. As Turkey sits between Europe and Asia, its unique geographical position has borne witness to so many past civilisations shaping its course and history. Testament to this fact is that The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism brought The St Nicholas’ Festival into being in 2001. This is certainly a growing contender to all the festivals celebrating St. Nicholas worldwide.
If you want to read a little more check out this neat little website on the history of Christmas.
Have a great holiday season!
