Today is Christmas. Everyone is busy shopping for Christmas trees, Santa dresses, cakes, gifts and chocolates. Christians are planning to spend the day in prayers and attending masses at the church.
This year, a lot of people are coming to buy Christmas items such as Santa dolls and Christmas trees. Special gift packs containing cakes, cookies and drinks are being prepared at different shops.
The twinkling lights, decorated trees, and the last-minute shopping for gifts- the Christmas spirit is everywhere. People from all walks of life observe the day in Odisha as ‘Bada Din’ to mark Jesus’ birthday with special prayers held in churches across the state.
We have a thought that on the Christmas eve, we will get some excited gifts from Santa, but do you the who is the real man behind it?
Read more to know the real story of Santa Claus:
The real story of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It has been believed that Nicholas was born 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey.
St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends due to his goodness and kindness. It is said that he gave away all of his hereditary wealth and travelled the countryside helping the poor and sick.
One of the best-known St. Nicholas stories is the time he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married.
There was a poor man who had three daughters. The man was so poor that he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn’t get married. However, one fine day, a bag full of money fell into their house while they were asleep.
This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who was keeping the money, the father of the girls secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold.
Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone as he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas.
Over the course of many years, Nicholas’s popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors and the most loved Santa Claus.
PNN