Santa's Pitstop
by Elizabeth Winter
Title
Santa's Pitstop
Artist
Elizabeth Winter
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure of Western 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, the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas (himself based on Saint Nicholas), the German figure of the Christkind (a fabulized Christ Child), and the holidays of Twelfth Night and Epiphany and their associated figures of the Three Kings (based on the gift-giving Magi of the Nativity) and Befana. 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.
Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man�sometimes with spectacles�wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white fur-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots and who carries a bag full of gifts for children. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast.[2][3][4] This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books, films, and advertising.
Santa Claus is said to make lists of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior ("good" and "bad", or "naughty" and "nice") and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the well-behaved children in the world, and coal to all the misbehaved children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of his elves, who make the toys in his workshop at the North Pole, and his flying reindeer, who pull his sleigh.[5][6] He is commonly portrayed as living at the North Pole and saying "ho ho ho" often.
Uploaded
December 10th, 2016
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Viewed 557 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/26/2024 at 5:36 AM
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Comments (25)
Gary F Richards
Outstanding Christmas Santa’s Pitstop composition, lighting, shading, lovely holiday color and artwork! F/L voted
Gary F Richards
Outstanding composition, lighting, shading, color and artwork! F/L voted for this piece in the contest CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Karen Slagle
I love this beautiful and magical work of art, Elizabeth...So perfect for the season...f/l
Miroslava Jurcik
Love this artwork, its magical !! And enjoy reading your interesting information. By the way in Czech Mikulas (St Nicholas) comes on 6th of December with the devil, and bad kids get punish and good kids get rewarded, the devil curries his own stocking full of coal. December 24 (Štìdrý den) is the most enjoyable day of Christmas holidays. Its Czech name literally means "Generous Day", and its probably bec everyone table is full, even poor people in the past had plenty to eat on Christmas eve. After dinner families sing Christmas carols and then move to the Christmas tree were the present has been placed, by baby Jesus as kids believe, after that some people go to very special midnight mass ! And there are some superstition go with Christmas, I remember only one :He who fails to give a present on Christmas Eve will be met with poverty.
Elizabeth Winter replied:
Thanks for sharing your country's tradition Miroslava! I so enjoyed reading it!