Thousands have packed Auckland’s Queen St for the city’s Santa Parade that’s sure to bring a smile to kids from one to 92.
Video / Alex Burton
The iconic picture of Santa dressed up in a heavy red fur-lined suit and black boots never made much sense in Aotearoa, where Christmas happens over summer.
So, some designs around New Zealand show him in summer gear, wearing jandals, shorts and sunnies. As it turns out, this outfit may be more fitting considering where the real Santa came from.
Adults know Santa doesn’t exist, but a man named Saint Nicolas did, and he certainly didn’t live in Arctic conditions.
Born in AD270, Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop who lived in the balmy Mediterranean city of Myra, which sat on the southern coast of present-day Turkey.
Saint Nicholas wouldn't have worn red robes but a simple tunic and cloak, like other Christian ministers of his era.
During his 67 years, Saint Nicholas became the Bishop of Myra and quickly became known for his generosity towards orphans, children and the poor.
One legendary tale saw Saint Nick give three poor sisters money for a dowry so they could get married. The twist? He supposedly tossed the bags of gold through their window (or some say down their chimney), and they landed in stockings and shoes left by the fireplace; a detail that likely sparked the tradition of “Santa filling stockings with gifts”.
When he died, he was buried in Myra, but that’s not where he stayed. In the 11th century, the city faced threats from invaders. Determined to protect Saint Nicolas’ remains, a group of Italian merchants from Bari allegedly smuggled his bones on to a ship and took them back home.
The town then built a church specifically to house the saint’s remains, and the Basilica di San Nicola has since become an important pilgrimage destination.
Tourists flock to Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice, but few make it to Italy’s east coast, to cities like Bari. The capital of the Apulia (Puglia) region, Bari is famously a port town, with a beautiful seafront promenade and delicious seafood cuisine.
The city itself has old winding streets, Romanesque architecture and charming squares, but its central train station is a highlight. Here, you have a simple, cheap way to travel along the Adriatic coast and find tiny towns with picture-perfect beaches, like Polignano a Mare, regularly full of Italian tourists and locals.
Monopoli, Bari, Italy. Photo / Unsplash
How did Saint Nicolas become Santa?
As the centuries rolled on, the celebration of Saint Nicholas’ kindness towards the sisters in December spread across Europe. The Dutch called him “Sinterklaas”, and when Dutch settlers hit the shores of North America, they brought their Sinterklaas festivities with them. Over time, the name morphed into the familiar “Santa Claus.”
The credit for Santa’s iconic outfit goes to Clement Clarke Moore, who wrote the famous poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas) in the 19th century. This described a jolly, round man in a red suit; an image that was solidified in the 1930s when Coca-Cola ran an advertising campaign that depicted Santa in his now-classic red suit.
