In 1902, Santa graced the cover of "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" dressed in green. But red eventually won out. Depictions from illustrator Norman Rockwell helped establish red as the color Santa donned best. Coca-Cola also affirmed Santa's signature red suit.
In fact, when Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he's known for today.
The tradition of him wearing red began in the 1870s with the American cartoonist Thomas Nast, who introduced the red suit and cap, white fur lining and buckled black belt.
Prior to Nast's work, Santa's outfit was tan in color, and it was he that changed it to red, although he also drew Santa in a green suit. This change is often mistakenly attributed to the work of Haddon Sundblom, who drew images of Santa in advertising for the Coca-Cola Company since 1931.
St Nicholas, who was the real historical figure who Santa Claus is based on, was originally seen as wearing red, since that was the colour of the religious robes he would have worn for his role as the Bishop of Myra in Turkey in the 3rd Century.
No. It's widely believed that today's Santa wears a red suit because that's the colour associated with Coca‑Cola, but this isn't the case. Before the Coca‑Cola Santa was even created, St Nick had appeared in numerous illustrations and written descriptions wearing a scarlet coat.
But before Moore's poem and Coca-Cola's advertisements, there was the original St. Nicholas. As the Bishop of Myra in the 4th Century, his traditional robes were red and white.
Nicholas lived around the fourth century in what is now present-day Turkey. This means that St. Nicholas was, in fact, not white. In the early 20th century, there were accounts of black men dressing up as Santa, usually being met with racial slurs and insults.
Before Coca‑Cola was invented, Santa Claus (St Nick) had appeared in numerous illustrations and books wearing a scarlet coat.
However, it was not until the late part of the 19th century that the character adopted the red suit that was popular for Santa Claus in America, and so for much of the Victorian period, Father Christmas was often green.
The Growth of White Santa
The highly recognized image of a pale-faced, white-bearded, old man giving out gifts dates back to the 19th century.
The real Saint Nicholas is likely to have had olive skin, dark brown eyes and a wide chin and brow.
A long time ago Father Christmas was shown in clothes of different colours: green, purple, light-blue, navy blue, brown or red. Some illustrations even depict him as a multicolour figure wearing blue trousers, a yellow waistcoat and a red jacket. In some cases he even wore brown, black or white furs.
Santa wasn't always illustrated as a jolly soul with a red coat, rosy cheeks, big white beard, portly belly, and black boots. Prior to 1931, Santa was illustrated as a tall gaunt man or a spooky-looking elf.
Traditional Santas wear bright red fleecy suits, lined with white fur and big black boots to fight off the northern winter. In Australia, it's summer at Christmas time so you're much more likely to see a boardshort wearing Santa on a surfboard.
Santa's hair and long beard are white as snow. But as a boy, his hair was probably a different color. Just like boys the world over, his head would have been topped with shades of brown, red, or yellow. Hair color originates inside the skin on the head, where hairs are attached.
German immigrants brought Santa Claus figurines to Ohio in the 1800s and once like the blue Santa were made locally. The director of the American Toy Marvel Museum says the blue color was traditional for the German version of St. Nicholas.
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St.
The Coke Santa is a classic. But as of 2005 he is no more on Coca-Cola packaging. That means Santa has been evicted from cans, glass bottles and two liter plastic bottles. And he's been replaced by polar bears.
Though most often portrayed as White, Santa is also depicted as Black or of other races. His race or color is sometimes a subject of controversy.
But if you read The Night Before Christmas, the 1822 poem that established Santa's modern form, you'll see that he's not a big guy at all. He's an elf. He's not even a little bit big. And this is not even alluded to; it's stated very clearly.
Much earlier, the American cartoonist Thomas Nast fashioned Santa Claus's image on the pages of the American magazine Harper's Weekly. The character of Santa Claus is believed to descend from Bishop Nicholas of Myra, who lived in the 4th century.
Well, if you really must know: In years, Santa Claus is 1,752 years old! (That doesn't seem that old for an elf!)
The history of Santa Claus
Santa Claus existed many years before Coca-Cola started to use him for its Christmas advertising campaign. Historians agree that this character was inspired by Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra of the 4th Century, who was famous for leaving coins in the shoes and stockings of poor children.
The green colour was used to signify the coming spring. If he wasn't wearing green or red, Father Christmas sometimes wore long white fur robes instead. This colour was chosen to resemble snow and ice – in this way, Father Christmas was depicted as a personification of winter itself.