Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 December 1883 — The Original Santa Clans. [ARTICLE]

The Original Santa Clans.

“Santa Claus” is an interesting archa-ism-carrying the mind agreeably back- i; ward to those old times which always have such a charm for the critical investigations or poetic reveries of men. This cheerful Christmas legend was quite a new tiling to most of us a few years ago—tb those, at least, who got their ideas of such things from the literature of our own language. Santa Claus has come, as everybody is aware, from Germany so the new world; and the curiosity of this matter is that in thus coming over the sea he Underwent a certain remarkable kind of transformation —a sort of a sea change. Tie was once honored in Dentchlaiid or Germany (for both of these names have exactly the same meaning in Ute Celtic,) as a child, a fact which none of the G erman critics or philologr rs hate condescended to notice, at least in any distinguishable way. Santa Clans was one of the oldest ideas of the Celtic West in Pagan times, as he was of the Pagan East before. In Christian times he was still regarded with religious reverence, sitting, as he had sat for. ages in Egypt and elsewhere, in the arms of his mother. Santa Claiis was, jn fact, the child Jesus in the middle ages; and throughout period the festive creed of G ermany and all Celtic Europe was that he visited all family dwellings of good Christianson the eve of his anniversary, and brought with him gifts and blessings for the children. This beautiful tradition is still to be found lingering in Germany, though Santa Claus does not seem to be specially connected with it by name. -The truth of this original belief is plainly enough indicated by the word “clans,” which, in the gothic or ancient German, means “child” and “son.” Santa Claus formerly meant the Holy Child. It is not very difficult to see how the change of men’s religious beliefs 300 or 400 years ago changed the character of the legend. Those Who had put away Catholic sentiment in religion, and wished to have their own or more dignified sort, thought it too rude and simple a thing to make that holy child bring knick-nacks and sweetmeats to the children down the chimney, ttndso, by 'degress,? altered the bld idea, making il a genial, peculiar fancy in the person of benevolent and jolly old man, such as the Germans and others halve welcomed for many generations, and we in this country have generally recognized of late years. He is such a cheery and felicitous old fancy that nobody would ever have thought of challenging him in any respect, but for the great mistake, so long ago committed, of sending him about the world with that tell-tale Claus pinned on his back, as it were. He really should himself have remembered, with the rest of his recollections, that his name is interpreted in Schiller or Buxhorn (we forget vvhichj, and should have chosen another. This statement, supported as it is by the old Christian traditions clinging around the present season of the year, will commend itself, perhaps, to the critics of the old customs and old language. But “the rest of mankind” don’t see it, and, in reply to that Gothic lexicon, exclaim, in the words of Giles Scroggin’s ghost, “that’s no rule!* Santa Claus will still be the old man with the beard and the frosty face—“frosty, but kindly.” And, indeed, very properly. The popular instinct, that -ioA in was right in setting that image of the child aside. It belonged to a far profounder sentiment than that of mere household game, pastime and festivity, was inevitably displaced by a generation in whom the simple old beliefs and reverence of departed ages lived no longer. After all, ityjwas lucky that_ Santa Claus was turned ad very opportunelyinto an old man. The other idea could never have come down to such a matter-of-fact age as this, and our Christmas would have wanted the happiest genius of its festivity ; —the Santa Claus of the German vaterland.