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List of Christmas and winter gift-bringers

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Christmas gift-bringers in Europe

This is a list of Christmas and winter gift-bringer figures from around the world.

The history of mythical or folkloric gift-bringing figures who appear in winter, often at or around the Christmas period, is complex, and in many countries the gift-bringer – and the gift-bringer's date of arrival – has changed over time as native customs have been influenced by those in other countries. While many though not all gift-bringers originated as religious figures, gift-bringing is often now a non-religious custom and secular figures exist in many countries that have little or no tradition of celebrating Christmas as a religious festival. Some figures are entirely local, and some have been deliberately and more recently invented.

The main originating strands – all of which have their roots in Europe – are

Not all gift-bringers were or are specifically focused on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day: other common customs are 6 December (Saint Nicholas), 1 January, New Year (St Basil, or secular), and 6 January, Epiphany (Three Kings).

The international popularity of the figure of Santa Claus has transformed the older traditions of many countries.[2]

List of gift-bringers

[edit]
Nation Old man Child Other Notes
 Albania Babagjyshi, Babagjyshi i Krishtlindjeve[3] (Grandfather Christmas, Old Man of Christmas), Babadimri[4] (Grandfather Frost)
 Argentina Papá Noel[5] (Father Christmas) El Niño Dios (Child God) Reyes Magos[6] (The Three Wise Men)
 Australia Santa Claus; Bubaa Gaadha (in Gamilaraay)[7] Wangkarnal Crow (in Warmun, Western Australia)[8]
 Austria Saint Nikolaus or Nikolo Christkind[9] (Christ Child)
 Belgium Kerstman (Christmas Man) and Sinterklaas for Dutch speakers; Père Noël[10] (Father Christmas) and Saint Nicolas for French speakers Le Petit Jesus[5] (Baby Jesus) for French speakers
 Brazil Papai Noel,[11] Bom Velhinho (Good Little Oldie).
 Canada Santa Claus,[12] Père Noël[12] (Father Christmas) for French speakers
 Chile Viejito Pascuero ("Little Easter Old Man")[13] The name comes from Pascua (Easter) being used in Chile to refer to multiple religious holidays, Christmas included.
 China Shengdan laoren (Traditional Chinese: 聖誕老人, Simplified Chinese: 圣诞老人, Cantonese: sing daan lo jan, pinyin: shèngdànlǎorén (Old Man Christmas)[14]
 Colombia Papá Noel (Father Christmas) El Niño Dios[15] (Child God), El Niño Jesús (Child Jesus)
 Costa Rica Santa Clós (Santa Claus),[16] San Nicolás (Saint Nicholas) or his nickname Colacho. El Niño Dios[16] (Child God)
 Croatia Djed Božićnjak (Grandfather Christmas), Sveti Nikola (Saint Nicholas)[17] 6 December Mali Isus (Baby Jesus) In Dalmatia and Slavonia, Saint Lucy[17] arrives on the eve of her feast day, 13 December.
 Czech Republic Angel and devil accompanying Svatý Mikuláš[18] (St Nicholas) 6 December Ježíšek[19] (Baby Jesus)
 Denmark Julemanden[20] (Christmas Man)
 Dominican Republic Papá Noel (Father Christmas), Santa Clós (Santa Claus) Los Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Kings),[21] Vieja Belén[21] (Old Lady of Bethlehem)
 Ecuador Papá Noel (Father Christmas) El Niño Dios (Child God) The Three Kings[22]
 England Father Christmas[23] or synonymously Santa Claus[24] Before mid-Victorian times Father Christmas was a different folkloric figure representing good cheer, and did not bring gifts.[25][26]
 Finland Joulupukki (Yule Goat)[27]
 France - Le Père Noël[28] (Father Christmas)

- Saint Nicolas (Saint Nicholas) in Alsace, Lorraine, the Ardennes, Franche-Comté and the Low Countries, 6 December

- Olentzero in the Basque Country

- Saint Martin in Alsace, Franconian Lorraine and Maritime Flanders, 10 or 11 November[29][30][31]

- Le Père Janvier (Father January) in Burgundy, Nivernais and Bourbonnais, 31 December - 1 January[32]

- Saint Vincent in the Langres plateau[32]

 - Le Petit Jésus (Child Jesus)[28]

- Le Christkindel (Christkind) in Alsace and Franconian Lorraine, 6 December[33]

 - Tante Arie (Aunt Arie, a fairy) in the County of Montbéliard[28]

- Les Rois Mages (The Three Kings) in Roussillon

- Berchta in Alsace[34]
 Germany - Martinsmann, 10 November in Protestant areas, 11 November in Catholic areas

- Nikolaus, 6 December

- Weihnachtsmann[35] (Christmas Man), 24 December in Protestant areas

Christkind[35] (Christ Child), 24 December in Catholic areas Nikolaus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, Krampus, Belsnickel or other servants in some regions of Germany.
 Greece Άγιος Βασίλειος ο Μέγας[36] (Saint Basil the Great)
 Honduras Santa Claus[37] The Three Kings[37]
 Hungary Télapó (Father Christmas); Mikulás[38] (Nicholas) Jézuska or Kis Jézus (Child Jesus) Angels accompanying the baby Jesus[37] Mikulás is accompanied by krampusz, generally bringing virgács (rod for whipping) to children who did not behave well
 Iceland Jólasveinar[39] (Yulemen or Yule Lads) In Icelandic folk tales there are numerous Jólasveinar, which come on different dates.[39]
 India - English: Santa Claus, Father Christmas

- Hindi: सांता क्लॉज़ (saanta kloz), सैंट निकोलस (saint nikolas)

- Other languages: Several names[a]
 Iran Santa Claus,[40] Baba Noel[40] (Persian: بابا نوئل); Amu Nowruz (Persian: عمو نوروز, "Uncle Nowruz")
 Ireland Santa Claus, Father Christmas,[40] Daidí na Nollag[41] for Irish speakers
 Italy Babbo Natale[42] (Father Christmas) Gesù Bambino (Baby Jesus) La Befana[42] 6 January. In Sicily,[42] Udine, Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Lodi, Mantova, Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Verona and Western Trentino, Saint Lucy[42] arrives on the eve of her feast day, 13 December.
 Japan Santa Kurōsu (サンタクロース) or Santa-san (サンタさん)[43] On 2 Jan[44] the Seven Lucky Gods bring metaphorical treasures in their treasure ship Takarabune[45]
 Latvia Ziemassvētku Vecītis (Father Christmas)[46]
 Lebanon بابا نويل[47] (Baba Noel), Père Noël
 Lithuania Kalėdų Senelis[48] (Grandfather Christmas)
 Luxembourg Kleeschen[49] (Saint Nicholas) Christkind (Christ Child)[49]
 Malta Father Christmas[50] (Missier il-Milied in Maltese)
 Mexico Santa Claus El Niño Dios[51] (Child God) Los Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Kings[51])
 Netherlands Kerstman[52] (Christmas Man), Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) Zwarte Piet[52] (Black Peter), accompanies Sinterklaas[52]
 New Zealand Santa Claus,[53] Hana Kōkō (in Māori)[54]
 Nicaragua El Niño[53] (The Child) The Three Kings[53]
 Norway Julenissen (Santa Claus)[55]
 Panama Santa Claus[56] Christ Child[56] The Three Kings[56] 6 January
 Peru Papá Noel (Father Christmas), Santa Claus[57]
 Philippines Santa Claus,[58] Santa Klaus (in Tagalog) Los Tres Reyes Magos, Tatlóng Haring Mago (The Three Kings), 5 January[58]
 Poland Gwiazdor (Star Man or Little Star[59]), Santa Claus,[59] Święty Mikołaj (Saint Nicolas) 6 December[59] Dzieciątko (Christ Child) in Upper Silesia[60] Aniołek (Angel) 24 December in Kraków[60]
 Portugal Pai Natal (Father Christmas), Santa Claus[61] Menino Jesus (Christ Child[61])
 Puerto Rico Santa Clós (Santa Claus)[62] Los Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Kings)
 Romania Moș Crăciun[63] (Old Man Christmas, Christmas Old Man, Grandfather Christmas, Christmas Grandfather), Moș Nicolae (Saint Nicholas) Jézuska or Kis Jézus (Child Jesus) (for the Hungarian minorities) Angyal (The Angel) (for the Hungarian minorities) Moș Gerilă (Grandfather Frost, Old Man Frost) during the previous Communist era[63]
 Russia Дед Мороз (Ded Moroz) (Grandfather Frost[64]) Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden and granddaughter of Ded Moroz) and the New Year Boy[64] Before 1917, during the pre-Communist era, the gift-bringers were Saint Nicholas, Baboushka and Kolyáda[64]
 Slovakia Angel and Devil accompanying Svätý Mikuláš[18] (Saint Nicholas) 6 December Ježiško (Baby Jesus)
 Slovenia Miklavž (Saint Nicholas),[65] Dedek Mraz (Grandpa Frost), Božiček (Santa Claus) Jezušček (Baby Jesus) Sveti Trije kralji (The Three Kings)
 South Africa - In English: Santa Claus Father Christmas,[66] Santa Claus
 Spain - Papá Noel or Santa Claus[67] (Father Christmas); Pare Noel or Pare Nadal[68] in Catalonia

- Olentzero in the Basque Country and Navarre[69]

- Apalpador in Galicia[70][71]

- Anguleru in Asturias[72][73]

- Esteru in Cantabria[74][75].[76]

 - The Three Kings 6 January[76]

- Tió de Nadal in Catalonia[77]

- Anjanas in Cantabria

- Mari Domingi, a recent female companion for Olentzero in the Basque Country and Navarre.[78]
 Sweden Jultomten[79] (Christmas Gnome) Julbock (Christmas Goat) until the 19th century[76]
  Switzerland St Nicholas (known as Samichlaus to German-speakers and San Nicolao to Italian),[80] Père Noël[80] (Father Christmas) for French-speakers Christkind (Christ Child) in some areas,[76] Gesù Bambino (Baby Jesus) in Italian-speaking areas[76] La Befana in Italian-speaking areas[76]
 Uruguay Papá Noel (Father Christmas) El Niño Dios (Child God) Los Reyes Magos on 6 January[81]
 United States Santa Claus;[82] sometimes Kris Kringle; ᏗᎭᏄᎧᎯ (in Cherokee); Kanakaloka (in Hawaiian);[83]
 Venezuela San Nicolás (Saint Nicholas)[84] El Niño[6] (The Child) Reyes Magos[6] (The Three Wise Men)
 Wales Father Christmas, Santa Claus; Siôn Corn[85] in Welsh (literally Chimney John)[86]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Flanders, Judith (2017). Christmas: a biography. Picador. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-5098-3360-3.
  2. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 199.
  3. ↑ "Babagjysh". fjale.al (in Albanian). Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Baba Dimri". fjale.al (in Albanian). Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 11.
  6. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, p. 238.
  7. ↑ "Minya 'Christmas' Gamilaraaydha, Yuwaalaraaya?". 10 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Is Wangkarnal the crow the spookiest Christmas tradition in Australia?". ABC News. 22 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 13.
  10. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 20.
  11. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 29.
  12. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 35.
  13. ↑ ""Viejo Pascuero": El llamativo nombre de Santa Claus en Chile". chile.travel. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  14. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 43.
  15. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 51.
  16. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 52.
  17. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 54.
  18. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 55.
  19. ↑ "Czech Santa". Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  20. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 67.
  21. 1 2 Bowler 2000, pp. 71–72.
  22. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 73.
  23. ↑ "Oxford English Dictionary". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  24. ↑ "Father Christmas". Collins English Dictionary. Collins. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  25. ↑ Roud, Steve (2006). The English Year. London: Penguin Books. pp. 385–387. ISBN 978-0-140-51554-1.
  26. ↑ Hutton, Ronald (1996). The Stations of the Sun. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 0-19-820570-8.
  27. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 82.
  28. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, p. 86.
  29. ↑ "La Saint-Martin :: Office de tourisme des Hauts de Flandre".
  30. ↑ "Scherwiller. La fête de la Saint-Martin revient". 19 November 2021.
  31. ↑ "La Saint Martin".
  32. 1 2 van Gennep, Arnold (1958). Manuel de folklore français contemporain tome 1; livre 7 cycle des douze jours : Noël (in French). Paris: Editions A. et J. Picard et Cie. pp. 3014–3016.
  33. ↑ "Qui est le Christkindel en Alsace ?". 7 November 2017.
  34. ↑ "Goodies - Personnages de Noël - Écomusée d'Alsace".[dead link]
  35. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 91.
  36. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 87.
  37. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, p. 107.
  38. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 109.
  39. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 112.
  40. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, p. 115.
  41. ↑ "Irish-English Dictionary". Daidí na Nollaig. Glosbe. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  42. 1 2 3 4 Bowler 2000, pp. 117–118.
  43. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 121.
  44. ↑ Elizabeth, Kiritani (1995). "Dreams of Revenge". Vanishing Japan: Traditions, Crafts & Culture. New York: Tuttle Pub. ISBN 9781462904273. OCLC 777374916.
  45. ↑ Reiko, Chiba (1966). The Seven Lucky Gods of Japan. Charles E. Tuttle Co. pp. 9–10. OCLC 40117755.
  46. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 130.
  47. ↑ "Our Favourite Lebanese Christmas Traditions". 14 December 2018.
  48. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 133.
  49. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 137.
  50. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 139.
  51. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 148.
  52. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, pp. 154–155.
  53. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, p. 155.
  54. ↑ "Santa - te Aka Māori Dictionary".
  55. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 159.
  56. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, p. 170.
  57. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 174.
  58. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 175.
  59. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, p. 178.
  60. 1 2 "Kto przynosi Wam prezenty? Św. Mikołaj, Gwiazdor, Aniołek, Dzieciątko czy może Dziadek Mróz?". 24 December 2019.
  61. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 179.
  62. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 184.
  63. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 193.
  64. 1 2 3 Bowler 2000, p. 195.
  65. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 207.
  66. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 211.
  67. ↑ "Papá Noel o Santa Claus: ¿Cúal es el nombre correcto?". Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  68. ↑ "Pare Noel - ésAdir". esadir.cat. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  69. ↑ "Olentzero: historia, tradición y experiencias para vivir la Navidad en familia | Visit Navarra". www.visitnavarra.es. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  70. ↑ "¿Sabes quién es el Apalpador? - SienteGalicia Blog". www.sientegalicia.com. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  71. ↑ "El Apalpador: origen y leyenda del "Papá Noel gallego" - Blog MEGA". mundoestrellagalicia.es. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  72. ↑ Anguleru
  73. ↑ "El Papá Noel de Asturias es el Anguleru y vive en este pueblo marinero". Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  74. ↑ "El Esteru. Tradiciones navideñas de Cantabria". www.cantabriarural.com. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  75. ↑ "¿Quién es el Esteru? . eldiariomontanes.es". Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  76. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bowler 2000, p. 212.
  77. ↑ Koehler, Jeff (2013). Spain: Recipes and Traditions from the Verdant Hills of the Basque Country to the Coastal Waters of Andalucia. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC. p. 96. ISBN 9781452129549.
  78. ↑ Ferreira, Maialen (20 December 2021). "Una campaña empodera a Mari Domingi y la iguala con Olentzero en el reparto de regalos en Navidad". ElDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  79. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 219.
  80. 1 2 Bowler 2000, p. 220.
  81. ↑ "Hoy llegan los Reyes Magos: ¿de dónde viene la tradición?". 5 January 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  82. ↑ Bowler 2000, p. 232.
  83. ↑ "How do we celebrate Christmas in Hawaii? - Manta Ray Advocates Hawaii". 14 December 2019.
  84. ↑ Why Christmas "Christmas in Venezuela". Retrieved on 31 Oct 2022.
  85. ↑ King, Gareth (2008). Colloquial Welsh: The Complete Course for Beginners. Oxford: Routledge. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-138-96039-8.
  86. ↑ Kirkeby, Cynthia (16 November 2008). "Santa's Names Around the World". ClassBrain.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2016.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ চান্টাক্লজ (Assamese), সান্তা ক্লজ (Bengali), सांता क्लॉज (Bhojpuri), सांता क्लॉज (Dogri), सांता क्लॉज (Goan Konkani), સાન્તા ક્લોસ (Gujarati), ಸಾಂಟಾ ಕ್ಲಾಸ್ (Kannada), सांता क्लॉज (Maithili), ക്രിസ്മസ് പാപ്പാ (Malayalam, lit. 'Papa Christmas'), ꯁꯥꯟꯇꯥ ꯀ꯭ꯂꯖ꯫ (Manipuri), सांताक्लॉज (Marathi), सान्टा क्लाउज (Nepali), ସାଣ୍ଟା କ୍ଲଜ୍ (Odia), ਸੈਂਟਾ ਕਲੌਸ (Punjabi), सांता क्लॉज (Sanskrit) சாண்டா கிளாஸ் (Tamil), శాంతా క్లాజు (Telugu), سانتا کلاز (Urdu)

Bibliography

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