Christmas is almost here and that means seeing tons of decorated trees, stunning lights, and naturally, tons of Santas everywhere. It’s been a while since Santa Claus almost monopolized the Christmas spotlight all over the world, but in some countries tradition and folk still have a lot of strength. Thus that valuable and beloved spot as the Christmas gift-bringer is shared with some iconic and really colorful characters that really bring more joy to the holidays.
Here are 5 beloved Christmas characters, other than Santa Claus, that also bring presents.
Baby Jesus (Latin America)
In many countries of Latin America like Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and many others, it is actually Baby Jesus (or ‘el Niño Dios’) the one in charge of bringing presents to the children. As it happened with many traditions in the continent, with the colonization of the land came a lot of beliefs and religious implementations that merged with the local lore and were adapted to each country.
In Mexico, for instance, during Christmas churches would gift children ‘aguinaldos,’ which were traditionally given in certain countries in Europe as a manifestation of goodwill during New Year. Here, these aguinaldos, which were essentially cookies or candies came to represent God’s goodwill present to children to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Aguinaldos evolved into a monetary bonus given every year to workers, and the idea of the present became toys or clothing gifted to children.
Sheng Dan Lao Ren (China)
Though there are only about 1% of Christians in China, Christmas is highly celebrated, mainly in the big cities, without all the religious load. Naturally, one of the most iconic things about Christmas in China are the presents and the one in charge of such an important job is someone called Sheng Dan Lao Ren, which literally translates to ‘Old Christmas Man.’
In a similar fashion to the Laughing Buddha, Sheng San Lao Ren is a bringer of goodwill. He is thought to bring the gift of happiness to both children and adults all over the country. Another important lesson that Sheng San Lao Ren teaches is the importance of thanking their ancestors and practicing generosity. For that matter, it’s usual for Chinese people to perform some philanthropic acts for those in need.
Tió de Nadal (Spain)
This one is probably the most bizarre of the entire list since it’s not a human-like figure. Tió de Nadal (Christmas log) is actually a piece of log personalized with a pair of cute eyes, a shiny red nose, and a funny sock hat that gifts the children of Catalonia and Valencia in Spain. On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, the hollow log is placed at every home, and children have to take very good care of it, which includes covering it with a blanket to keep it warm and “feed” it. On Christmas, as a sign of gratefulness for the love and caring received, the log “defecates” presents. To do so, kids first have to pray to the Tió de Nadal and then grab sticks (sometimes even warmed on fire) to start hitting the log to release the presents.
Tomte (Sweden)
Similar looking to garden gnomes, the Swedish Tomte is a mythological creature that came to be one of the most iconic Christmas characters in the country. These small beings with long white beards wearing conical caps and traditional farmer garb were originally thought to be the soul of the first inhabitor of a farm. They were thought to be guardians of the farm, and if treated well, they would protect the family and livestock, as well as helping the farm thrive. However, if treated poorly, these short-tempered creatures would bring misfortune to the land.
Over time, the Tomte was adopted by the Christian tradition of Christma,s and he would come accompanied by the Julbocken or Yule goat. These two are thought to knock on the doors of people (or more recently just visit the houses at night), and hand presents to children.
Agios Vasileios (Greece)
Known as the Greek Santa Claus, Agios Vasileios (or Saint Basil), is as you might’ve guessed, a Greek Orthodox Christian figure. According to history, Vasileios was born in Cappadocia (now Turkey) into a wealthy and extremely religious family of which five of them would become Saints. After becoming a monk, Vasileios founded a commune on the family estate in Annesi. He also founded the Basiliad, a complex outside his natal Caesarea in Cappadocia with hospitals, refugees, and orphanages to help those in need.
These selfless charitable actions made him one of the most beloved figures of the country and later on would become the one who brings presents and happiness to the Greeks. However, unlike other characters in this list, Saint Basil doesn’t bring presents on Christmas, but on New Year’s Eve. Still, he is known as the Greek Father of Christmas.
Photos from: Pexels: Jeswin Thomas / Pexels: Henlynn / Legacy of Taste / Shutterstock / Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
