標籤：聖誕老人

關於聖誕節之父或者聖誕老人的由來，我們特別翻譯外國網站的原文供大家參考。

以下翻譯自：http://didyouknow.org/christmas/

 Father Christmas or Santa Claus

The figure of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) is based on the patron saint of children, Saint Nicholas (270-310AD), who became one of the youngest bishops ever at age 17. At age 30 he became the Bishop of Myra, a port town on the Mediterranean Sea, that is part of modern-day Turkey. He hailed from a rich home and became well known for supporting the needy. He would often be seen, clad in red and white bishop’s robes and riding on a donkey, handing out gifts to children.

During the Middle Ages, many churches were built in honor of Saint Nicholas. In the 11th century, his remains were enshrined in a church in the Italian city of Bari. It is told that the first Crusaders visited Bari and carried stories about Nicholas to their homelands. The anniversary of his death, 6 December, became a day to exchange gifts.

During the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, Martin Luther tried to stop the venerating of saints and the feast of Saint Nicholas was abolished in some European countries. The gift giver took on other names: in Germany, he became Der Weinachtsmann (“Christmas Man”), Pre Nol in France, Father Christmas in Britain and the colonies, and many other names.

聖誕節之父或者聖誕老人

聖誕節之父(聖誕老人)的形象是基於一個兒童的守護神(Saint Nicholas) 西元270到310年)，在他17歲的時候便成為最年輕的主教。而在他30歲時成為米拉的主教，米拉是一個地中海上的港城，也就是現今土耳其的一部分。他來自一個富有的家庭並且變成廣為人知的救濟家。他常常批著紅白相間的主教袍出現，並且騎著一隻爐子，發送禮物給孩子們。

在中古世紀，很多教堂為了紀念Saint Nicholas而被建造。在11世紀，他的遺骸被置於位於義大利八里市的教堂神龕中。傳說中第一批造訪八里的十字軍，將有關Nicholas的故事帶到他們的家鄉。每年他的忌日-12月6號，就成了交換禮物日。

在16世紀新教徒宗教改革期間，馬丁·路德試著阻止對於Saint Nicholas的欽仰，廢除了一些在歐洲國家的慶典。禮物的施予者被冠上其他名字: 在德國，他成了Der Weinachtsmann (聖誕男人)，法國是Pre Nol，而英國以及其殖民地是聖誕節之父，還有很多其他國家各有其名字。