Every country knows Santa Clause though there are several different points of view about his existence based on each country’s culture. Santa may look as if like a small way to measure cultures, but once you understand that something so simple as Santa is different in different markets, you can begin to understand how you have to change your selling style to match your different markets. Saint Nicholas is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a Lycian saint and Bishop of Myra in Lycia of Anatolia. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and is now frequently identified with Santa Claus.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, Sinterklaas is a traditional holiday figure, celebrated every year on 5 December, Saint Nicholas’ eve, or on the morning of December 6. Sinterklaas is the basis for the North American figure of Santa Claus. Santa, the red-suited man with a beard and a big belly, first appeared in a Coca-Cola advertisement in 1931. Before that, Santa was more like an elf.
In 1885, Thomas Nast sketched two children looking at a map of the world and tracing Santa’s journey from the North Pole to the United States. The following year, the American writer, George P. Webster, took up this idea, explaining that Santa’s toy factory and “his house, during the long summer months, was hidden in the ice and snow of the North Pole.”
In England, Father Christmas was in the beginning part of an old English midwinter festival, normally dressed in green, a sign of the returning spring. He was known as ‘Sir Christmas’, ‘Old Father Christmas’ or Old Winter’. In this earliest form, Father Christmas was not the bringer of gifts for small children, nor did he come down the chimney. He simply wandered around from home to home, knocking on doors and feasting with families before moving on to the next house. Children write letters to Father Christmas about the presents they want to receive. Instead of sending the letter, the kids burn the letters because they believe that Father Christmas would be able to determine their wishes through the smoke.
In Germany, Martin Luther introduced das Christkindl (an angel-like Christ Child) to bring Christmas gifts and condense the magnitude of Sankt Nikolaus. Later this Christ-kind figure would evolve into der Weihnachtsmann in Protestant regions and would eventually cross the Atlantic to mutate into the English term “Kris Kringle.”
Russian traditional Christmas figure who gives gifts to children is Babushka. Her name means grandmother and the legend is told that she decided to not go with the wise men to see Jesus because of the cold weather. Later she regretted not going and set off to try and catch up, filling her basket with presents. She never found Jesus, and that is why she visits each house, leaving toys for good children.
In nowadays predominantly Muslim Turkey, there is Noel Baba who is related with New Year’s Eve. That’s why commercial interests have promoted Noel Baba to encourage gift giving at New Year’s. Noel Baba is sometimes seen in shopping areas, on the streets, or in schools similar to Santa in Christian countries.
In Italy, La Befana (Old Witch) is flying on her broomstick to give candies to kids in Italy. This is done on the night before Epiphany. While in Austria, Heiliger Nikolaus give rewards to good children in Austria on 6 December. While Christkindl brings gifts on 24 December. In Belgium Pere Noel visits the children twice. First is every 4 December so he’ll find out who have been good and bad among the children. Then good children would receive toys and candies while the bad ones will find twigs on their stockings on 6 December.