Every Christmas, the image of Santa Claus appears everywhere. However, why Santa Claus wears red clothes and not other colors is something not everyone knows.
Santa Claus, Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus is a way to call a person – the spirit of Christmas. The image of Santa Claus is prototyped from a real historical figure.
While everyone thinks that Santa Claus is just a myth, Santa Claus actually comes from the legend of a real person living in the 4th century named Nicholas. He was the only child in a wealthy Christian family. Nicholas was born around the 280s in Patara, a small port of the town of Lycia in Türkiye. As a child, the boy was taught a lot about the bible by his mother, but unfortunately, his parents died due to an epidemic, leaving him with all the inheritance. He was born into a wealthy family, often giving his wealth to the poor and secretly helping those in need. Thanks to that, Saint Nicholas was loved by both adults and children.
Even so, the Romans always despised him, They imprisoned and tortured him in the dungeon. When Constantine became Roman emperor, he freed Saint Nicholas. Since then, Constantine has become a Christian. He convened a meeting of Niasea, and Saint Nicholas was invited to be a delegate to it. Saint Nicholas is especially celebrated for his love of children.
It is rumored that the surprise gifts are brought by Saint Nicholas and it is he who always brings gifts to children at Christmas. The Santa Claus story spread to Germany, St. Nicholas became known as Kriss Kringle and became the symbol of the Christmas season. Later, the Kriss Kringle legend spread to France and was called “Père Noél” by the French. Dutch people living in New York called him Sinter Klaas. Gradually Sinter Klaas became Santa Claus.
The image of Santa Claus is prototyped from a real historical figure.
The story of Saint Nicholas was widely spread, so popular that whenever a gift was received, people thought it was from him. This famous character also appears in the works of many Victorian writers and poets with the image of an old man with a gray beard, often appearing in winter with a large gift bag.
At that time, Santa Claus in each country had a name and wore different clothes, including red, but the most common was a green shirt, symbolizing the coming of spring.
Santa Claus in a green coat, 1910. (Image: Getty).
In January 1863, Harper Weekly (USA) published the first illustration of St Nicholas in a shirt with a star print. For the next 20 years, the image of Santa Claus often appeared in this magazine every Christmas. In January 1881, Harper Weekly published an image of Santa Claus with a large red belly, a pipe in his hand, and a large gift bag.
Until the 1920s, Coca-Cola used the image of Santa Claus to advertise its soft drink. Artist Haddon Sundblom has redrawn the image of Santa Claus holding a Coca Cola bottle with a cheerful face, a large gift bag on his shoulder.
One of many Coca-Cola advertisements. (Photo: Thefactsite).
In particular, he wears a red suit with white border like the two colors in the company’s logo. This advertising template continued to be used many years later. The success of this beverage company means that the image of Santa Claus in red has become familiar.
Today, images of Santa Claus walking through the sky on Christmas Eve on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, entering homes through chimneys and putting presents in socks, nightstands, and bags are common and popular. is looked forward to every Christmas by every child around the world.