[Lexicog] Santa Claus and Father Christmas

[Annie Zaenen]

It seems that it was Luther who messed it all up (not wanting St  
Nikolaus) in catholic Germanic lge areas we still have St Nikolaus  
and in the Netherlands, who didn't give in (maybe because they were  
mainly calvinist: Northern Belgium, Austria, also Switzerland (again  
Calvinism?) but, according to one of my friends one has also St  
Nikolaus in Georgia!

Annie


On Dec 20, 2006, at 10:24 AM, Fritz Goerling wrote:

>
>
> Yesterday I drove around Bamako/Mali together with a British  
> colleague. We got a kick out of watching Malian street vendors  
> selling inflatable Santa Clauses (Father Christmases) at red  
> lights. To my surprise I learnt from my British colleague that the  
> Brits call Santa Claus by the name Father Christmas while in German  
> these are two different characters. In Germany St. Nikolaus comes  
> on the 6th of December, and the Weihnachtsmann (Santa, Father  
> Christmas) comes on Christmas Eve.
>
> What tradition do you have in your language/country and how do you  
> refer to Santa/Father Christmas as one or two different persons?
>
>
>
> Merry Chistmas!
>
>
>
> Fritz Goerling
>
>
>
> 

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