As seevral countries compete over who truly claims ownership of Santa Claus, sending letters to him gets a bit tricky. The tourism sector of Finland claims that the house of Santa is located at Korvatunturi in Lapland, which it asserts attracts millions of visitors each year. Greenland and Denmark have also made their own claims, while Sweden, among the competition, erected an amusement park called Santaworld in Mora.
While these locations share some semblance of Santa’s arctic home with snowy winters and reindeer, their claims are predicated on older, more often unsettling folklore. For example, in Finland, there was the nuuttipukki, men who wore furry jackets, would demand presents during the pagan celebration of St. Knut’s Day in January. The nuuttipukki did not bring presents but instead cursed households who did not comply. Through time, this became the more recognizable Joulupukki, a present-bringer for well-behaved children.
Santa’s Modern Image
By the 19th century, the image of Santa Claus as a jovial, gift-giving figure had become popularized through various European traditions. This image was further popularized by illustrator Thomas Nast who depicted Santa in Harper’s Weekly as a jovial man with reindeer and a sleigh in a wintry setting. However, Nast did not specify where exactly Santa resided, and the North Pole was an imagined location at the time.
Territorial Claims and Disputes
Countries today argue about where Santa comes from, with Finland and Scandinavian countries basing their claims on ancient tales. In a more modern and direct approach, Canada granted Santa and his wife Canadian passports in 2013. This move was amidst a greater international dispute over claims of territory in the Arctic and North Pole.
Origins of Santa Claus
Although the North Pole claims for this holiday are on, the origins of Santa are much warmer. The name “Santa Claus” comes from the Dutch “Sinterklaas,” meaning the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas, the bishop from the town of Myra, modern Turkey.
A figure who was widely believed in and revered because of the gifts he gave to children is the foundation behind which Santa’s idea to give gifts to the masses comes from.
The reason why the story of Saint Nicholas spread all over the world is because of his legacy as a gift-giver to children and sailors. In 2017, an archaeological dig in Demre, Turkey, uncovered Saint Nicholas’s tomb, which is now believed to be his resting place. A grave full of old bones may not seem festive, but it is an authentic connection to Santa’s origins, far surpassing the snow and reindeer imagery of northern Europe.
