Posted on 12/21/2008 2:49:32 PM PST by Alex Murphy
BERLIN (AFP) — Santa beware! Activists in Germany are waging an international campaign to do away with old Father Christmas and say they are gaining ground thanks to the global economic meltdown.
Armed with child-friendly stickers, web-savvy promoters and chocolate figurines, the "Santa-Free Zone" movement says it is gathering steam this year against what it calls the hollow commercialisation of Christmas.
Launched by a German Catholic priest in 2002, the campaign aims to knock Santa off his pedestal and replace what they see as a cheap, American import with the real thing: Saint Nicholas.
"The movement is intended to raise awareness of the fact that the consumption-oriented Santa launched by the Christmas gift industry has very little to do with the holy bishop Saint Nicholas," said Christoph Schommer of the Catholic aid group Bonifatiuswerk, which is rallying the Santa opposition.
Saint Nicholas, an actual historical figure, was in the fourth century Bishop of Myra in today's Turkey whose legendary modesty and generosity led him to give gifts in secret.
As the story goes, his greatest miracle was saving three girls whose impoverished father wanted to sell them into prostitution. Nicholas, who had inherited a fortune from his father, left three lumps of gold over three nights in their room while they were sleeping.
Catholics and Orthodox Christians in much of the world still celebrate Saint Nicholas Day, usually on December 6, as a festival for children, who receive chocolates in their shoes when they leave them out overnight.
But Saint Nicholas has long been upstaged during the holiday season by the ho-ho-ho-ing Santa Claus, or Father Christmas in Britain and Canada, and activists would like the saint to reclaim the Yuletide throne.
Santa's red fur-lined suit, chubby mid-section and fluffy white beard are all thought to be inventions of
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
"The movement is intended to raise awareness of the fact that the consumption-oriented Santa launched by the Christmas gift industry has very little to do with the holy bishop Saint Nicholas," said Christoph Schommer of the Catholic aid group Bonifatiuswerk, which is rallying the Santa opposition...
...Protestants have also joined in promoting Nicholas over Santa Claus as a more fitting symbol of Christmas.
The Lutheran Church put out a pro-Nicholas manifesto this month titled "How a Holy Legend Turned Into an Advertising Gag".
They also know that the folks in the Far North are the indigenous European people who've been driven from their lands and their natural wealth by Black Sea interlopers.
This is just another attempt by the Indo-Europeans to commit genocide against the Sa'ami and their heritage.
Guess they ran out of Jews to kill or something.
Opponents say Santa has cheapened Christmas by reducing a celebration of Christian values to a decadent and deeply dissatisfying display of greed.
+++
Teaching my kids that the Coca-Cola santa is not the “real-thing” has been a challenge.
We taught our children about SAINT NICOLAS, a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A bishop in 3rd century Lycia (SW modern Turkey). reknown for his lifesaving of shipwrecked sailors and special concern for students and children in general. A member of the council of Nicea (Nicene Creed).
The following is an article my son wrote for an imaginary 12th century newspaper for his 10th grade history class:
Sankt Nikolas Returns with Crusaders!
Nürnberg, den 7 Dezember
Many Nürnberger parents were puzzled yesterday by their children returning from their errands in town with stories of a kind old gentleman giving them treats. Or perhaps they saw the white-bearded bishop for themselves as he strolled around the marktplatz in his vestments. Many of us saw the church patriarch handing the young people pastries and small coins and wondered who he was. So too, did not a few us enjoy a good chuckle when a rude or unchurched youth was chased and switched by the man's dark-skinned (a Muslim?) companion!
Well, this is to notify everyone that he was St Nikolas and he was accompanied by his servant, Knecht Ruprecht. His presence in our city is due to the wish of our beloved prinzess to establish the custom that was related to her by several of our valiant knights just recently returned from the holy land. During the crusade, many of our knights spent time in the area of southwestern Turkey. There, in the region known as Lycia, they learned of a quaint custom of the local inhabitants to keep the memory of one the early church fathers alive. The story of St Nikolas goes all the way back to the very earliest days of Christendom. Nikolas was the bishop for the people of Lycia during the first part of the fourth century. He was a representative at the council of Nicea and helped codify our beliefs into the simple statement of faith that we now know as the Nicene Creed. In his parish, Nikolas was famous for saving innumerable sailors’ lives, many miraculously, of those shipwrecked along the coast, Yet, what was most endearing to his flock was his special concern and love for the students and young people in general. Illustrative of this love is this story they tell of a poor, but proud man with two daughters that in lived in one of the parish towns. When the eldest daughter came of marriageable age, she hoped to be wed to a local nobleman's son whom she was in love with, but her father was too poor to provide a dowry. When the young couple's plight came to Nikolas’s attention, he sought to help, but he knew the girl's father was too proud to accept charity. So, late one night, Nikolas crept into their home and left a pouch of gold and silver coins from the parish's treasury on the family's table. The girl's father was very embarrassed upon finding the money, but not knowing whom to return it to, thanked God for the anonymous donor, and gave it to his daughter for her dowry. The girl and her betrothed were married soon after. Not too long later, the man's youngest daughter found herself in similar circumstance, and her father took to locking his door and shuttering his windows at night to prevent any recurrence of the mysterious charity.
However the bishop, finding the house well secured, climbed onto the roof at night and dropped the sack of money down the chimney!
These deeds and countless others made the bishop so beloved of the people that, when he passed into glory, they strove to emulate his love for children. They remembered his giving-spirit by reenacting the secret nocturnal charities with their children in the wee hours of every Dezember sixth, the day he cast off his mortal shell. It is the hope and desire of our prinzess that this beautiful custom be adopted by all Nürnbergers and that 6 Dezember will henceforth be known as Saint Nikolas Day. She makes one additional request: do not let your children lose sight of the fact that this wonderful man is a faithful servant of our Lord Jesus Christ and seeks no glory for himself.
ATTENTION FOLKS: ALL-TIME GRAND CHAMPION TIN FOIL HAT COMMENT:
>> Germans and Russians (and all the various kinds of folks like them in between) know that virtually ALL of the symbols and colors regarding Santa Claus derive from FAR NORTHERN traditions, not from the Mediterranean.
They also know that the folks in the Far North are the indigenous European people who’ve been driven from their lands and their natural wealth by Black Sea interlopers.
>> This is just another attempt by the Indo-Europeans to commit genocide against the Sa’ami and their heritage.
>> Guess they ran out of Jews to kill or something.
THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS: The effort to de-Santify (Santa-tize?) Christmas is dominated by genocidal Nazi Jew-killers!
Hmmm, I said nothing about Nazis. When it comes to Santa Claus, though, race hatred knows no bounds does it.
>> I said nothing about Nazis. <<
You said: “Guess they ran out of Jews to kill or something.”
Silly me, I PRESUMED when you mentioned genocidal Germans killing Jews that you were referring to Nazis.
I thought you were aware of that!
Dangus, you really, really, really, really do need to expand your knowledge of the late Paleolithic ~ kind of give you that broad view of things so that you can think about the Santa Claus structure in its entirity ~
You call St. Nicolas part of an attempt at genocide, but you want me to listen to what you think I really, really, really, really need to listen to your take on the late Paleolithic?
OK... I’ll bite
Paleolithic refers to the period from 2.6 mi to TEN THOUSAND years ago. What does this have to do with Santa Claus?
So far the Christian forces have been fairly successful because they've forced their nomenclature on the participants in the events.
This is just another ploy by a protestant cabal. Sounds like the roundhead puritans of merry olde englande are back....
Yes, it is something like that. I say "like that" because the English Puritans did not invent the attitudes that define puritanism. It exits in most religions.
I think the attitude is summed up in a line from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:
Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?Sir Toby Belch says that to Malvolio. Sir Toby is something of a hanger-on and a drunkard. Malvolio is a vain self-righteous prig. Of course it would be better to walk a path between these two extremes. But the debate may be perennial. Such is human nature.
We taught our children only about St Nicholas when they asked about Santa Claus. The older three never really believed, although they had a couple occasions at a party to sit on Santa’s lap and liked it.
But my six year old has picked up the Santa myth and believes with a sweet and generous spirit, in spite of knowing that Santa Claus is really Saint Nicholas, and who Saint Nicholas is. Why couldn’t a saint go around the world and give gifts to all the children? We never take her to see Santa, but he shows up sometimes. Last year, he passed us in a red convertible as we left church on Christmas day.
Today we had just come home from ‘Tales of Despereaux,’ and the town’s firemen were driving about in the antique firetruck, ringing the bell, giving Santa a ride. He asked if she were a good girl, and she said she was bad some of the time, as serious if she were going to confession. And too shy to say what she wanted for Christmas, so she said “Nothing,” (her desires are modest, and she’s saving quarters for the poor.)
This is probably the last year she believes in Santa; maybe one more year.
Nah, I’m not interested in that; what was that about the paleolithic era?
Plus, "soma" ~ the drug of the ancients, storied in song and dance, praised by the bards.
I'm still trying to figure out how the four traditional Hindu household goddesses ended up in the deal, but they did ~ although you don't hear about them that much these days ~ Santa's helpers maybe?
The dwarves are real ~ the Northern people have the highest incidence of dwarfism of any European group. Rendeers have rednoses when the mushroom with the soma (amanita muscaria) is in season. It's red with white spots.
They imagine they are flying, and so do people who consume that same mushroom.
The dwarves spend all year making gifts and ornaments for sale to the far larger Norse and Pomar to the South. In more ancient times they were out there on their own, but they made baskets and things of horn and bone all winter long during the great long night, then in the Spring traded them to more primitive folk for the sort of goods that don't grow near the ice and snow.
Four traditional Hindu goddesses? And how do we know of Santa mythology in the Paleolithic age?
Plus, archaeology has yielded a tremendous amount of material in recent years regarding life at the edge of the Eurasian ice fields.
Sumerians? Hmmm... Sumerians had reindeer in the Paleolithic age. Santa Claus has reindeer. Santa must come from Paleolithic Sumeria?!
Let’s just say I need convincing. And my Sumerian cuneiform reading skills are a little rusty.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.