Said, why does Santa Claus dress in red ?
And no, it's not the Coca-Cola drink brand that gave birth to the scarlet color of Santa's clothes. I was looking for the answer and I found an article from Le Figaro , here is the explanation:
The idea that the clothes that envelop the coated figure of Santa Claus turned red after an advertising campaign for the famous soda is not correct.
The legend of Saint-Nicolas, at the origin of the figure of the old man so beloved by children, already carried all the symbolism with which today's myth is charged.
Bishop Nicholas born between 250 and 270 AD, whose death Germanic tradition celebrates on December 6, was already represented with a carmine cape and the famous white beard that we know him today. “Since the Middle Ages, Saint-Nicolas has been represented with a large beard, a bishop's crozier, a red cape and a miter (the bishop's head covering),” assures N a dine Cretin, author of ' Story of Santa Claus ( Editions Le Pérégrinateur).
Other characteristics are also taken from the Christian figure: Saint Nicholas of Myra traveled through the villages on the back of a donkey, the inhabitant of Lapland. Santa Claus travels in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
Known for his generosity towards the weakest, legend has it that the bishop passed through houses to bring treats to good children... while his negative alter ego, the whipping father, dressed in a large black coat and big boots, was responsible for punishing the little rascals.
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In the 19th century, the Dutch brought it with them in their suitcases when they colonized the United States. Little by little, the initial local name “Sinterklaas” became “Santa Claus”, anglicized. Then Saint Nicholas gradually takes on the figure we know today.
In 1822, the pastor Clement Clarke Moore wrote A Visit from Saint Nicholas, a children's story which tells the story of "Saint Nick, A little old fellow" being carried around on a sleigh by reindeer. The tale was a great success and made the character popular in the United States. The designer Robert Weir colored his dressing for the first time in 1838 and imagined it as an “elves” who also went down the chimney to distribute gifts to the children.
In the 1930s, the figure of Santa Claus which is familiar to us was structured. It was then that the bubble drinks company decided to use the marketing potential of this grandpa cake. The first drawing, signed by the American artist Haddon Sundblom, is sketched in red. This is how Santa Claus will take on a global dimension and will remain, dressed in red, forever in the collective imagination.