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Santa During the Middle Ages
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During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, St. Nicholas was banned in most European countries because he was tied to the Catholic Church. Each country came up with their own version of a gift-giver at Christmas time. In France, he was Papa Noel. England called him Father Christmas. Germany named him Weihnachtsmann (Christmas man). And in Russia, he was called Grandfather Frost.
Holland is the one country that kept the St. Nicholas tradition alive. Dutch children put their wooden shoes by the fireplace on the night of his visits. The next morning, they would find a small toy or candy.
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But, all of the new versions of St. Nicholas has two things in common. They all had long white beards and carried gifts for children. And except for Russia, where Grandfather Frost dressed in blue, they were usually depicted in red and white robes.
The Dutch spelled St. Nicolas "Sint Nikolass". When they traveled to the America, this became "Sinterklass". And when they lost control of New Amsterdam (New York City) to the English in the 17th century, the spelling was changed again. The English turned the name into "Santa Claus".
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