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For the same reason that we now understand Santa Claus as the shitty Coca Cola character invented as an early 20th century ad. The original is lost to all excep

For the same reason that we now understand Santa Claus as the shitty Coca Cola character invented as an early 20th century ad. The original is lost to all except historical scholars and all we're left with is the pastiche dripping in sickly sweetness. About as far from "without doing any real damage" as it's possible to get.

ekianjo 8y ago
Saint Nicholas is still alive and well in Belgium and the Netherlands.
- Asooka 8y ago
  Saint Nicholas is not Santa Claus, at least in Orthodox parts of Europe. St. Nick day is in November and celebrated apart from Christmas.
  - ekianjo 8y ago
    > Saint Nicholas is not Santa Claus You are wrong. It's very same character that just got a distorted spelling over time. And one became a pagan version thru the process, but they are very much the same character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus > Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved ("good" or "nice") children on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day (25 December).[1] The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas (a fourth-century Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra), the British figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas (himself also based on Saint Nicholas). Some maintain Santa Claus also absorbed elements of the Germanic god Wodan, who was associated with the pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky. Now, the fact that people know think it's two different characters is beyond the point: they just don't realize where it is coming from.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
DerekL 8y ago
> For the same reason that we now understand Santa Claus as the shitty Coca Cola character invented as an early 20th century ad. Those Coca-Cola ads really didn't change the popular idea of Santa Claus. Here's a good explanation: “Did Coca-Cola Invent the Modern Image of Santa Claus?” https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-claus-that-refreshes/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-claus-that-refreshes/
chrisseaton 8y ago
But folk tales have always evolved. That's what happens to mainly oral traditions like that - the originals are constantly being lost and the new thing becomes the new original over time. Is your idea of the original Santa Claus really the original or someone else's spin on it from something else even older? Coca Cola's interpretation of the tradition is as valid as anyone else's.

ekianjo 8y ago

Saint Nicholas is still alive and well in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Asooka 8y ago
Saint Nicholas is not Santa Claus, at least in Orthodox parts of Europe. St. Nick day is in November and celebrated apart from Christmas.
- ekianjo 8y ago
  > Saint Nicholas is not Santa Claus You are wrong. It's very same character that just got a distorted spelling over time. And one became a pagan version thru the process, but they are very much the same character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus > Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved ("good" or "nice") children on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day (25 December).[1] The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas (a fourth-century Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra), the British figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas (himself also based on Saint Nicholas). Some maintain Santa Claus also absorbed elements of the Germanic god Wodan, who was associated with the pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky. Now, the fact that people know think it's two different characters is beyond the point: they just don't realize where it is coming from.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]

DerekL 8y ago

> For the same reason that we now understand Santa Claus as the shitty Coca Cola character invented as an early 20th century ad. Those Coca-Cola ads really didn't change the popular idea of Santa Claus. Here's a good explanation: “Did Coca-Cola Invent the Modern Image of Santa Claus?” https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-claus-that-refreshes/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-claus-that-refreshes/

chrisseaton 8y ago

But folk tales have always evolved. That's what happens to mainly oral traditions like that - the originals are constantly being lost and the new thing becomes the new original over time. Is your idea of the original Santa Claus really the original or someone else's spin on it from something else even older? Coca Cola's interpretation of the tradition is as valid as anyone else's.