Santa Claus and Christmas socks
Santa Claus is one of the most beloved holidays among both children and adults. It's a great opportunity to feel extraordinary joy again, as well as to please your loved ones. In Poland, most often Santa leaves presents in shoes or socks, and what better choice than Christmas socks? It is inside them that you can find a small gift or they themselves can become a gift. Reindeer socks or socks with Christmas patterns are sure to make the wait for Christmas more pleasant. The tradition of gift-giving is associated with the Bishop of Myra, but today's image of Santa Claus is very different from the appearance of the Saint. A red outfit, a hat with a white pom-pom, black boots and, of course, a long gray beard - this is how the pop-culture Santa looks. In the 1930s, Coca-Cola brand bosses decided that the image of the holy bishop of Myra was too serious to be associated with a sweet drink. A respected artist, Fred Mizen, was tasked with creating an entirely new image of Santa Claus. The result was one of the most famous images, without which it is difficult to imagine modern pop culture. Since then, the friendly gray-haired old man has become the hero of numerous fairy tales, stories, and before Christmas Eve his likeness adorns almost every Christmas treat. Nowadays, December 6 is primarily associated with the kind-hearted Santa Claus of Lapland, who goes out into the world with a sled of reindeer. However, many regions of the world have quite different traditions regarding December 6. It is not always Santa Claus who brings the gifts, and they are not always given just at the beginning of December.
Santa Claus around the world
The tradition of gift-giving is present in many parts of the world, but depending on the region it takes different forms. Czechs, St. Nicholas, or Svaty Mikulas, also visits on December 6 and leaves gifts in shoes. The better polished and cleaned the shoes, the greater the chance of finding a special gift in the morning. Legend has it that Santa's inseparable companions are an angel and a devil. The Saint himself has quite an interesting means of transportation. He doesn't travel by reindeer sled at all, but comes down to earth with the help of a golden thread, the source of which is in heaven. However, back in Russia, children look forward to presents not on December 6, but on New Year's Day. They are then visited by Grandfather Frost, who travels with his granddaughter, Snowflake, who helps him distribute gifts. Grandfather Frost usually has a warm ear coat on his head and is dressed in a long light-colored coat. Dutch children are visited by Sinterklaas, who spends most of the year in Spain, but after St. Martin's Day (after Nov. 11) arrives in the Netherlands on a steamboat and gives gifts to children there until Dec. 5. Mostly these are sweets and small toys. Sinterklaas wears black clothing, which has gained its color through contact with soot from chimneys. Italians also have a very interesting tradition of waiting for gifts from... witches. Befana, a witch flying on a broomstick, throws presents through chimneys, and she does so on the night of January 5-6, the Feast of the Epiphany. Good children can count on toys and sweets, while onion and garlic parcels are provided for the troublemakers.
