Santa Claus was created in the 19th century through the fusion of various customs:

1 Saint Nicholas

The Dutch emigrants brought the tradition of Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) to America. The English name Sainta Claus then developed from this name.

2 Father Frost

The Eastern European emigrants brought the tradition of Father Frost to America. Many elements of Father Frost were then adopted: old grandfather, long white beard, the coat, the sleigh, the reindeer, the snow and the cold.

3 Christ Child

The Protestants brought the Christ Child to America and the following elements were adopted: the time of the gift giving, the type of arrival or flying, the time of the arrival when the children are asleep.

All elements were not adopted at once. It is also unclear when exactly they were adopted. Santa Claus originated among migrants and therefore there were no records for a very long time. The first fairy tale about Santa Claus was published (anonymously) in 1823. However, it must be emphasized that by this time beliefs and customs were already widespread.

Santa Claus was initially only known through stories. In the 19th century, Santa Claus also began to be drawn. There were various interpretations, and this is reflected in the drawings. In 1837, Robert Walter Weir depicted Santa Claus as an elf, and this corresponds to the Dutch version of Sinterklaas. Others depicted Santa Claus as an old man, and this corresponds more to the Eastern European idea of ​​Father Frost.

There was also no uniform opinion on clothing and Santa Claus wore clothes in different colors. The picture from 1821 shows Santa Claus in peasant yellow clothing. The picture from 1823 shows Santa Claus in green clothes with a top hat.

In the middle of the 19th century, Santa Claus was often depicted in bishop’s clothing, like St. Nicholas.

In the second half of the 19th century, Santa Claus was depicted in dark or even black clothes and without a beard.