Internationally recognised, Santa Claus brings joy and excitement into homes all over the world during the Christmas period – but he isn't known as Santa Clause to everyone.
The concept of Santa Claus originated from Saint Nicholas, a patron saint well known for giving generous gifts to the poor. The pronunciation of Saint Nicholas in Dutch is Sinterklaas, which is where the Santa Claus name originated from. Saint Nicholas was bishop of the small Roman town of Myra in the 4thCentury in what is now Turkey.
Internationally, there are many variations for the festive figure, as the name has been interpreted and changed in many ways, unique to each country.
Here, Sergio Afonso, linguistics expert at Absolute Translations, talks us through the different names for Santa Claus around the world.
1) German
Germany is home to the most beautiful Christmas markets in the world. German children call Santa Claus ‘Weihnachtsmann’ which translates to Christmas man. The Weihnachtsmann is a recent Christmas tradition which has little if any religious or folkloric background.
2) Italian
Italy is famous for their big Christmas spread for the whole family to enjoy. Italian children call Santa Claus ‘Babbo Natale’. He is becoming more popular in Italy for gift giving on Christmas Day but La Befana, the old woman who delivers gifts on Epiphany on 6th January, is still more common.
3) Portuguese
Children in Portugal call Santa Claus ‘Pai Natal’. He is believed to bring presents on Christmas Eve either under the tree or in shoes by the fireplace. Although, some families do believe that the presents were brought by baby Jesus and not Pai Natal.
4) French
Children in France call Santa Claus ‘Pere Noël’ which translates to Father Christmas. In France, Christmas Eve is the main event, the big feast is eaten, and presents are opened. The idea of a grown man drinking milk and eating cookies is laughable to French adults, so the children leave a glass of wine or Calvados.
5) Japanese
In Japan they call him ‘Santa-San’, which is Mr Santa. In Japan Christmas is known as a time to spread happiness rather than a religious celebration.
6) Finnish
Finland are lucky enough to enjoy a white Christmas each year. Finnish children call Santa Claus ‘Joulupukki’. They believe Joulupukki is from Korvatunturi, a fell in Lapland in which they believe his secret workshop is located.
7) Turkish
Santa Claus is called ‘Noel Baba’ to Turkish children, which translates into Father Christmas. Santa Claus is known to have Turkish roots; he can be traced back to 280A.D in Patara near Myra. In Turkey, Noel Baba is expected to leave his gifts under a pine tree called New Year tree for New Year’s Eve.
8) Russian
Russian Santa Claus is named ‘Ded Moroz’ which means Grandfather Frost. Whilst Santa wears red, Ded Moroz typically appears in a long red, icy blue, silver or gold lined coat trimmed with white fur. He wears a rounded Russian cap generously trimmed with fur and has traditional felt boots called valenki.
9) Greek
In Greece, Santa Claus is known as ‘Ayios Vassileios’. Like Turkey, Agios Vasilios delvers gifts on New Year’s Eve. Everyone visits the city centre and makes a lot of noise to bring him into the cities. Each year on New Year’s Day, Orthodox Christians remember Agios Vassileios in church.
10) Bulgaria
Bulgarian children call Santa Claus ‘Dyado Koleda’ which means Grandfather Christmas. The belief of Dyado Koleda came from Russia since Bulgaria did not have much contact with non-socialistic countries, the only difference is his red coat is long to his ankles.
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Olivia Heath
Daily Editor, House Beautiful UK
Olivia Heath is the Daily Editor at House Beautiful. Heading up all things digital, Olivia loves nothing more than uncovering tomorrow's biggest design trends and sharing the best decorating tips, small space living solutions, and houseplant care and gardening advice. Week by week Olivia compiles the most stylish high street homeware buys to help you get the look for less, and showcases the best makeovers, as well as the hottest and most unique properties on the market. She also loves covering some of the biggest events in the calendar, including all the action from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Colour of the Year forecasts from Pantone to Dulux, and exclusive previews of all the new Christmas collections before it hits the shops.
Olivia has been writing about homes and interiors for the past seven years, and her work has also been published on Elle Decor US, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Red, Prima, Elle Japan, Modern Living and Micasa Revista.
Prior to joining House Beautiful, Olivia worked at Reveal magazine, where she reported on celebrity and entertainment news by day, and attended showbiz parties and red carpet events by night! Olivia has an MA in Journalism with an NCTJ qualification, as well as a BA in Journalism and Media & Cultural Studies.
