The Santa Claus legend

Saint Nicholas’ Day is celebrated in much of continental Europe, with many children receiving gifts on this day rather than on Christmas Day. Saint Nicholas was a wealthy Greek bishop in fourth-century Asia Minor – modern-day Turkey – who gave secret gifts of gold to the poor. Known in Dutch as Sinterklaas, a corruption of Sint-Nicolaas, he merged with the English Father Christmas character to create the modern Santa Claus.

Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas’ life and deeds, and these have been incorporated in modern-day Christmas celebrations.

The St. Nicholas Center tells one story that led to the custom of children hanging stockings in which parents hide gold-wrapped chocolate coins.

An impoverished nobleman, living in a peasant’s cottage, was unable to provide a dowry for his three daughters. Saint Nicholas knew that the nobleman was too proud to accept money from him, so he came up with another plan.

The nobleman’s daughters washed their clothes and hung their stockings by the fireplace to dry. 

Saint Nicholas waited until dark and then went to the house and threw three bags of gold coins down the chimney — a bag of coins fell into each of the stockings. When the daughters woke up the next morning, they found the dowry in their stockings.