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It has been a year of steep decline for the real estate sector
in India. It remains one of the worst hit by the domestic credit
squeeze and the global financial meltdown. To an extent, the
problem is reflected on the BSE Realty Index, which is now down 82%
from its January peak.
Today's Santa is usually
depicted as a jolly rotund fellow who magically slides his
considerable girth down chimneys to bring gifts to children on
Christmas Eve. This image became popular in the 19th century, due
largely to political cartoonist Thomas Nast and writer Clement
Moore. But behind this red-suited caricature we know so well today
is a real man who lived in the third century.
Saint Nicholas was born around 280 AD in what is now Turkey. His
parents were wealthy, devout Christians who died when he was young.
Following Jesus' advice to give to the poor, Nicholas gave away his
entire inheritance to the poor and needy. He became the Bishop of
Myra while still a young man, and continued to help those in need,
particularly children. He was soon known as a protector of children
and sailors.
He died December 6, 343 AD, and the anniversary of his death became
Saint Nicholas Day, a day for feasting and celebrating.
Saint Nicholas
and Sinter Klaas
The legend of Saint Nicholas was brought to the New World by
Dutch setttlers. The name Santa Claus would evolve from the Dutch
nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas. The
saint became a part of local lore when John Pintard founded the New
York Historical Society in 1804 and made St. Nicholas the patron
saint of the society and New York City.
He received another boost a few years later when Washington Irving
joined the society and published a work called Knickerbocker's History of
New York on Saint Nicholas Day. The work contained numerous
references to a jolly St. Nicholas character.
But it was Clement Clark Moore's poem, originally titled "A Visit
from Saint Nicholas," but now better known as "The Night Before
Christmas," that cemented Saint Nicholas' image as "a jolly old
elf" with a "little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a
bowlful of jelly." Political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped
popularize this image. In 1863 he began drawing a series of annual
cartoons for Harper's Weekly that
were based on the character in the poem and in Washington Irving's
work. Nash's Santa has a beard, fur clothing, and a pipe, and was
the basis for many Santas to follow. He was also the one to invent
the North Pole, elves and Mrs. Claus.
By the 1890s, the image of Santa in a red suit and hat was so
common that the Salvation Army began dressing men in Santa Claus
suits and sending them into the streets of New York to solicit
donations for the Christmas meals they provided for the needy.
Later, other artists such as Norman Rockwell continued to
popularize the image of Santa Claus as a bearded fat fellow in a
red suit.
In 1931, Coca-Cola began using Santa in their advertisements and
the rest, as they say, is history. Santa is now a common
centerpiece of Christmas advertising. Although he still retains
some small semblance to the Saint Nicholas of history who gave
gifts to the needy, his transformation from an actual religious
figure to a mythical secular figure has been otherwise
complete.
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