THE CHILDREN’S PATRON SAINT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 40043, 24 December 1929, Page 4

THE CHILDREN’S PATRON SAINT.

It is to a legend that we owe the most commonly practised of Christinastide customs, that of pre-sent-giving; and the most popular of Christmas figures —Santa Claus, the mysterious being who flies o’er land and sea, descends chimneys./ •and distributes toys to good little boys and girls. “Santa Claus” is really a corruption of “St. Nicholas,” patron saint of the children. There was, so runs the traditional story, a poor nobleman who had three daughters. So poor was lie that he could not provide dowers for the girls. He therefore planned to kill them. Teamed in a vision of the projected tragedy, St. Nicholas, a.t night, visited the nobleman’s castle and dropped a fat purse of gold down the kitchen chimney. Thus was mysteriously provided a dower for the eldest daughter. In like manner, on successive nights, St. Nicholas dowered the nobleman’s two other girls. In. olden times purses possessed something of the shape of the stocking as we know it to-day. Hence the old and still prevailing practice of excited children hanging up stockings to receive Santa Claus’s good gifts down the chimney in the early hours of Christmas Day.