St. Nicholas (The Original Santa Claus) Quiz

Answer: Turkey

Asia Minor (called Lesser Asia by the Romans) comprised much of the Asiatic part of what is now known as Turkey. Nicholas was born in Patara, a seafaring port in Lycia (which partly accounts for his patronage of sailors). He was appointed bishop of the somewhat derelict diocese of Myra (now Demre), which he transformed by his holiness and good works.

Answer: Diocletian

The reign of Diocletian began in 284 A.D. and lasted until his abdication in 305. His reign marked the last great persecution of Christians, although it was also known for increasing tolerance of the Christian faith. Nicholas was imprisoned during his reign but was released in 311.

Answer: Setting of the date of Christ's birth as December 25

The first Council of Nicea was held in the year 325 A.D.; its purpose was to denounce the heresy of Arius, a Libyan theologian whose teachings denied the divinity of Christ. The Nicean council defined the doctrine that Christ was "of one substance with the Father" (Consubstantialem Patri); this doctrine was set forth in the Nicene Creed, which was formulated by the council and forms part of the Canon of the Mass.

It would not be until 349 A.D., one year before Nicholas' death, that the feast of Christmas would be set at the 25th of December (the ancient feast of the Winter Solstice) by Pope Julius I.

Answer: December 6

December 6 is traditionally accepted as the date of Nicholas' death and thus is observed as his feast day. December 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (commemorating the Church's belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived free of original sin). December 26 is the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr, and is observed in England and Canada as "Boxing Day", on which it was traditional to bring boxes of food and clothing to poorer neighbors. January 6 was the feast of the Epiphany (the Roman Catholic Church now observes this on the first Sunday after New Year's Day).

Answer: The Christmas stocking

According to some versions of the story, the saint deposited the gold in the girls' shoes, which were lined up before the fire; later versions turned the shoes into stockings, which were hung before the fire to dry after being washed. In some parts of the world, such as the Netherlands, shoes are used instead of stockings.

It is traditional to put an orange in the toe of the Christmas stocking to recall St. Nicholas' original gift. In many countries, an apple and/or some root vegetables are included for the saint's beast (or beasts) of burden, which may be either reindeer (in America and certain Scandinavian countries), a donkey (in some Latin countries), or a horse (in Germany and the Netherlands, among others).

Answer: Pregnant women

St. Gerard Majella (and, in earlier days, St. Margaret) is the patron of pregnant women and women in labor. St. Nicholas' time-honored patronage of children derives from stories in which he saves three young men from unjust execution or, in the most popular version, he restores them to life after they have been murdered, dismembered, and pickled in brine by an unscrupulous inn-keeper (a version of this story was written by the 19th century French author Anatole France).

In later versions, the three young men become three boys; along with the afore-mentioned story of the three dowerless girls, these legends gave birth to the idea of St. Nicholas as patron of the young, and of children in particular.

The legend of the three golden purses, or balls, led to his patronage of pawnbrokers (consequently, the three golden balls are the traditional logo of pawnshops).

A sweet-smelling oil which once mysteriously flowed from the saint's tomb led to his patronage of perfumers, which he shares with St. Mary Magdalene.

Answer: Bari

Until 1087, the relics of St. Nicholas were enshrined in a basilica in the city of Demre, Turkey. The transport of the relics was actually a clandestine operation which had the unofficial approval of the Roman church. In effect, the relics were stolen from the basilica in Demre.

The break between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church had become final by this point and the Roman church wanted the relics of this most prominent saint. There was also the fear that, with the many wars and invasions in the region, the relics would be stolen or destroyed.

Answer: Russia

St. Vladimir the Great of Kiev, who died in 1015, was the first Russian ruler to embrace Christianity. He established the cult of St. Nicholas (called "The Wonderworker"), who quickly became one of the most popular saints in Russia, second only to the Virgin Mary.

Answer: Holland / the Netherlands

During the Protestant Reformation, devotion to St. Nicholas was uprooted in nearly all of the European countries which embraced Protestantism in one form or other. A notable exception was the Netherlands, where Sinterklaas (the Dutch for St. Nicholas; the name is also, I'm informed, used in northern Belgium) continued to visit children and their families on December 5, the eve of his feast day. With the arrival of Dutch settlers to North America in the 17th century, this beloved tradition made its first appearance on American soil. An alternate theory holds that the name Santa Claus is derived from the German Sankt Nikolaus, who was replaced, after the Protestant reformation, by the Weihnachtsmann ("Christmas-man", rather like the English "Father Christmas") as well as the Christkindlein (Christ child).

Answer: Baldur

According to Scandinavian myth, Odin (or Woden, or Wotan) would visit earthly dwellings during the winter and leave a loaf of bread at the homes of poor families. He would also scatter gifts to the children of the frozen north from his sleigh, which was drawn by an eight-legged horse (or by a reindeer, in some versions).

It is easy to see where some aspects of the Santa legend derived from these legends. Thor, the god of thunder, was also connected with the winter and drove a chariot pulled by a pair of goats named Cracker and Gnasher, which may have been the inspiration for the reindeer names Dasher and Dancer in Clement Clark Moore's "A Visit From St. Nicholas".

The names Donner and Blitzen mean "thunder" and "lightning" in German and may also have been inspired by the Thor legend. Saturn was a Roman god, a giant whose return to earth every year in December was an occasion for great revelry and feasting.

This was known as Saturnalia, which the Church transformed into the feast of Christmas. Baldur was the beloved Norse god whose mother, at his birth, asked every plant and tree in Nature not to harm her son. Unhappily, she neglected to ask the humble mistletoe; taking advantage of this, the sinister god Loki fashioned a spear from the mistletoe and urged one of the other gods to throw it a Baldur, thus killing him.

There is a legend of Baldur's annual resurrection, which connects him to the Christ story (along with the Greek Adonis) and the Christmas tradition of kissing under the mistletoe derives from the legend that Baldur's mother declared that the plant that had killed her son should henceforth bring love, not death, into the world. However, there is no connection between Baldur and St. Nicholas/Santa Claus.

Answer: Stille Nacht (Silent Night)

"Stille Nacht" was written on Christmas Eve in 1818 by Franz Gruber, to lyrics by Josef Mohr, and performed at the midnight service. Contrary to popular myth, the carol was not scored for guitar because the organ had broken down; it was traditional to perform a piece in folk-style at the Christmas Eve service in honor of the humble shepherds, who were the first to welcome the Newborn King.

These pieces were traditionally accompanied by a folk instrument, such as the guitar.

Answer: True

Bishop's wine (also known simply as "bishop") consists of wine mulled with sugar, cinnamon, and a clove-studded orange. Bishop's bread is a sweetened bread, often containing raisins and/or currants. Both delicacies arose in Germany and parts of Eastern Europe in connection with St. Nicholas' feast.

In England, Bishop's wine is known simply as "Bishop" and is mentioned by Scrooge in Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". This occurs the day after Scrooge's "conversion", when he invites the astonished Bob Cratchit to discuss how best Scrooge can help his struggling family "over a Christmas bowl of steaming bishop".

Answer: Holy Innocent's Day (December 28)

In honor of the Holy Innocents, who were the innocent and helpless victims of the mad King Herod, it was considered appropriate to give children dominion over adults for the day. In some places, the reign of the "boy bishop" would begin on St. Nicholas' Day and end on the Feast of the Innocents.

Answer: The Christ child who, according to German tradition, delivered presents on Christmas Eve.

Kris Kringle derives from the German "Christkindlein", meaning Christ Child. During the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Martin Luther determined to uproot the cult of St. Nicholas because of the excesses and abuses which had arisen around it. In its place, he propogated the tradition that, on Christmas Eve, it was the Christ Child himself, accompanied by angels, who brought gifts to children by night. Eventually, particularly among German and Austrian Catholics, the Feast of St. Nicholas reclaimed its place alongside the newer tradition.

A touching and charming account of these traditions is given by Maria von Trapp in her book "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers".

Answer: "Hans Brinker; or, the Silver Skates" by Mary Mapes Dodge

First published in 1865, this beloved children's novel tells the story of the Brinker family and their tribulations when the father is taken ill. Chapter 9 consists of a vivid account of the visit of good St. Nicholas (no doubt an elderly male relation in disguise) to the Van Gleck household on December 5; he admonishes each child for his/her failings (such as mistreating the cat and playing pranks on the schoolmistress), commends them for their good qualities, and departs after scattering sweets for the young ones. The following morning, they are delighted to find their wooden shoes, left out during the night, stuffed with presents; sadly, though, there is no visit to the Brinker household.

A typical scenario of a Dutch celebration of this feast was vividly captured by the 17th century Dutch painter Jan Steen in his charming 1660 painting "The Feast of St. Nicholas". Steen's painting depicts a family surrounding a lavishly indulged little girl clutching her bucket of sweets and toys, along with a doll, while a weeping older brother, who has been presented with a switch, looks on. At the rear of the painting, a grandmother can be seen gesturing the boy into a back room where, no doubt, some consolatory gift awaits.