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SANTA'S HOMELAND Shown above is a
coastal village in Turkey in the province
where St Nicholas was born and raised some
1,600 years ago. The. good saint, patron of
sailors, thieves and maiden ladies, was the
"real life" person about whom traditions and
legends grew into the American "Santa
Claus." His homeland, and some of the back
ground of "the Christmas saint" are described
in the accompanying article. ; . .
Turkish Saint Said
Basis for Tradition
Of American 'Santa'
' Demre, Turkey A few years
ago, some globe-trotting Amer
icans were swimming under a
hot sun here on Christmas day.
Despite its great beauty, no set
ting, it seemed to them, could
have been less appropriate for
Santa Claus than the sandy and
sunny shores of the Mediter-
ranian along Turkey's southern
coast. !
After hearing the Americans'
comments, a Turkish friend
Smilingly bundled them into a
car and drove a few miles in
land. ! Much to their surprise,
they found themselves wander
ing through the countryside
where "Santa Claus" was born,
lived out his life and where he
became a legend. St. Nicholas
was what he wa3 called in those
days. - v
Reputation for Generosity
I Perhaps the proverbial good
nature of St. Nicholas is not so
surprising considering the ra
diant land he was born into some
1600 years ago. It was here that
his reputation for generosity got
its start. A tale tells of how he
endowed three worthy but poor
unmarried girls with the dow
ries that enabled them to find
husbands.'
I This act seems to, have. made
k strong impression on our an
cestors, as he is often depicted
in old pictures holding three
gold balls. These symbolize the
bags of gold he tossed into the
window of the impoverished
father, of the spinsters. He thus
became the patron "saint of un
married, and virtuous, ladies.
This is all the more remarkable
in view of his popularity with
sailors. :
Bespecltd by Sailors
No doubt, the sailors were
less attracted to him for his
high moral ' purposes than for
his readiness to intercede for
those in trouble on the high seas.
;. Oddly enough, even the pi
rates respected him as their
patron saint, though they ex
pressed their respect in a curi
ous way. In the year 1087, the
Church of St. Nicholas at Myra
where the good man was once
bishop, was broken into by pi
rates who carried back to their
home-port most of the Saint's
remains, which were buried in
a ' sarcophagus in the Church.
Churches Given Name -;
His popularity was so great
in the Middle Ages that hun
dreds of churches were named
in his honor. More than that,
his fame had penetrated secular
circles, as well. Pawnbrokers
took the three gold balls as a
symbol,, and made Nicholas their
patron saint, realizing that dig
nity would accrue to their pro
fession if they could associate
their activities with his name.
The days of St. Nicholas were
not always happy ones. He lived
at a time when-, the goddess
Diana was the object of wor
ship throughout the Mediterran
ean area. The Roman Emperor
Diocletian, a devotee of the god
dess, seeking to extirpate Chris
tianity, then only three centu
ries old, imprisoned the already
well-known Bishop of Myra.
The persecution only served to
increase Nicholas' fame, and
when Constantine came to the
throne, the future saint was re
leased with honors by the man
who made Christianity the offi
cial religion of the Empire.
Popularity Grew-
The years that followed Nich
olas' death in the middle of the
fourth century saw his . popu
larity grow to immense propor
tions. He became the patron
saint of Russia, and remained
so until the downfall of Jhe
Tsar. Throughout Europe, his
day was observed with merry
festivities . and gift-giving.
In some of 'the leading Eng
lish schools, notably Salisbury,
a boy bishop was elected each
year and,' gotten up in the like
ness of St. Nicholas, presided
over festivities that extended
from Dec. 6 (St. Nicholas Day)
to Dec. 28 (Innocents' or Child
ermas Day). It was thus that
festivities for the Saint became
part of the Christmas season.
Cam to America
The festival of. St Nicholas
became very popular in Hol
land. When the Dutch came to
America and founded New Am
sterdam, which later became
New York, they brought the
festival with them. As a matter
of fact, an image of the Saint
formed the figurehead on the
prow of the first Dutch immi
grant ship that . touched Man
hattan Island, and Nicholas was
promptly accepted as the patron
saint of the future metropolis.
The Dutch name for Saint
Nicholas saan became "Santa
Claus," which was easier to say,
and it is under this name that
he became widely known
throughout the Colonies.
Country Described
The St. Nicholas country
Turkey's province of Antalya
is one of the most beautiful
places in the world Like its
western Mediterranean counter-
Eastwood Church
Christmas Events
Scheduled Sunday
A series , of three pre-Christ-
mas sermons will be concluded
Sunday at 11 a. m. at the East
wood Baptist church, the Rev.
Willis J. Loar announced.
The message, entitled "The
Cradle and the Cross," will be
supplemented with Christmas
music.
At the pageant service Sun
day at 7:30 p. m., a Christmas
pageant "The Story the Angels
Told," will be presented. The
cast includes Phyllis Mitchell,
Georgia Mitchell, Fern Johnson,
John Johnson, Jr., William Fry,
William Garner, John Yungen,
Ronnie Adair, Mike Miller, Mac
Simmons.
Lynn Campbell, Gary Johnson,
Carol Anderson, Larry Tuttle,
Nathan Parrish, Jeri Parrish,
Willis J. Loar, Margaret Loar,
Virginia Yungen, Peggy Garner,
Virginia Fry, Joyce Matheus.
Lola White, Dorothy Turtle.,
Carolyn English, David Loar;
Steve Parrish, Judi Parrish, Dean
Anderson, Henry Anderson, Fern
Johnson, Bette Parrish, Mrs. D.
A. Harris, Don Matheus and
Pearl Orr.
The public is invited. A treat
will be given the Sunday school
children' after the pageant.
Friday. December 17, 1954
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE SEVEN
part, the French Riviera, it is
remarkable for its variety.
Mountains cut off the cold winds
from the north, . creating sub
tropical valley where bananas
and oranges grow. Many streams
teeming with fish, rise in the
Taurus Mountains, and the hills
themselves are alive not only
with hares, geese and quail, but
with bears and leopards as well.
Travelers are beginning to
discover the almost forgotten
little town of Myra, now called
Demre. In recent years, the
Turkish government has made
strenuous efforts to safeguard
what remains of the old Church
of St. Nicholas, and has built a
shell around it to protect it from
the onslaughts of weather. .
Old Saint Nicholas has hap
pily i captured - the imagination
of millions of people the world
over. Whether he wears a red
suit or a bishop's robe, whether
he lives in the icy wastes of the
North Pole or along the sunny
shores of southern .Turkey, this
delightful saint is a colorful and
remarkable propagator of cheer
and good will as colorful and
remarkable as the land he was
born in some 1600 years ago. .
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