Where did Santa Claus come from in India?

Half of the month of December has passed and when the month of December has passed, the news starts coming that Christmas Day was celebrated with great pomp in so and so convent school. Children dressed as Santa Claus, or children at Greenland Public School dressed up as Santa Claus and distributed candy. That is, till now someone’s son became Ram, someone’s Krishna, someone’s son became Veer Shivaji and someone’s Guru Govind Singh. But who are those people whose children became Santa Claus? All these are those schools which even make fun of Lord Shri Ram by performing Ramlila on Dussehra, but by the time of Christmas, Santa Claus i.e. an imaginary Buddha becomes a symbol of their faith.

That’s why this question! Because recently, during an art festival in Noto, located in the Sicily province of Italy, a bishop told the children that Santa Claus is not really anyone nor does he exist. Then what was left! This statement of the Bishop made headlines in the Sicilian media. It started being discussed in the entire province, country and the world. The Vatican got scared by this and scolded the bishop that what are you saying, this will destroy our years old business of conversion. Then the Bishop also apologized and hushed up the matter.

But the question remains that who is this Santa Claus and what does he do? Why are little children made Santa in schools, is there any worship, prayer or conspiracy behind this? Because why does lakhs of Santa Claus’s army descend on the country as soon as Christmas arrives? And the interesting thing in this is that Hindu families also make their children like Veer Shivaji, Maharana Pratap, Guru Govind Singh or make Santa on Christmas day and also send that photo to their relatives through social media. See, our child has become Santa. Like you have shot a huge arrow or become the President of some country?

Actually, the story behind the creation of Santa is told like this that Saint Nicholas, born 280 years after the birthday of Jesus in a city called Mayna in Turkistan, is Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas grew up to become a Christian priest and later a bishop and, after his death, a saint. Apart from this, Nicholas loved children very much and to help poor children, he would often give them gifts and chocolates secretly at night. That is, this story is told in many forms so that people understand that Nicholas was a very great saint, just as they understand Mother Teresa today.

But is this the whole truth? Or is the truth something else, was Nicholas really such a great saint that even today he should be praised and children should become like him? Or why did Christianity feel the need to promote the imaginary old man i.e. Santa Claus?

In fact, in the last decades of the fourth century and the fifth century, Jerusalem had become a major central platform for determining the methods of Christian belief. Many characters came into lead roles on this stage. Started making statues of crucified Jesus. Many people had joined this new imperialist policy. One of these was Jerome of Rome. He was the secretary of Bishop Damasus. It is said that Damasus was elected bishop after terrible violence in which his men killed more than a hundred supporters of the opposing candidate. This post was not given just like that. However, after a few years, the post of Bishop of Rome itself came to be officially called Pope. As soon as Damasus became bishop, he began efforts to convert Rome and the surrounding areas into a place of Christian pilgrimage. Places associated with the early days of Christianity in Rome were identified and history began to be coated with fabricated stories. In this connection, Damasus created a fictional account of the apostles who carried Christianity forward in Rome. Many imaginary gods were created. Like Jupiter Bacchus, Apollo, Cupid, Mars, Mercury, Pluto etc. and goddesses like Juno, Minerva, Siris, Flora, Fortuna, Diana, Venus were created. That means on one side there is prayer hour and on the other side there is violence and massacre. But still the people were troubled by the violence of Jerome, the secretary of Damasus; Christianity had become a bloody paw in their eyes.

So then a game was started from there named “Santa Claus” through which Christianity was spread a lot. Now you understand this game, that is, on one side there was violence and on the other side, this imaginary Saint Nicholas was sent to crush the Pagan civilization by disguising some of his people. This was the time when in the Pagan community, if any Christian preaching priest was found during the day, people would catch him and beat him. He went and told the whole story to Jerome and Damasus that people were very angry with Christianity and he could not go.

Then it was decided that an army named Santa Claus would change into military attire and secretly leave something outside the houses of the poor pagan people at midnight. It was like a miracle for the poor people in remote areas, that is why children were put to sleep early. Because if someone was found alive in any house then Santa would not keep anything for fear of being beaten. Gradually people’s faith in Christianity started increasing and when it was used successfully in Rome, these Santas were sent to the next place.

That is, after this successful experiment in Rome, these people were sent all over Europe. They were sent to Africa in the second millennium. Understand it like this, poor settlements and poor countries would be identified first and Santa would be secretly dropped in them. Everyone was dressed the same, so people would have thought that it was the same Santa who was distributing gifts and that he was a very big saint.

But by the end of the second century, this game was on the verge of extinction. Large parts of Europe, America, Australia and Africa had come under the control of the Church. There was Islam in Arabia, but due to the deep roots of Sanatan in India, its pulse was not melting here. However, the mention of the atrocities committed on Hindus by Priest Francis Xavier, who came with the Jesuit missionaries to Goa to impose Christianity, is heart-wrenching.

The dark period of atrocities on Hindus in Goa is considered to be from 1560 to 1812. With this, gradually the work of “Santa Claus” also slowed down. Because the countries of Europe started fighting among themselves for state and power. Or in the countries where they were colonized, the local people were raising the trumpet of revolution against them. The First World War was still going on when Santa Claus was introduced in the market. The image of Santa was used to sell White Rock Beverages mineral water in 1915. After this, the same company used the image of Santa to advertise its Ginger Bells in 1923. But by the 1930s, an artist named Hayden Sundblom appeared as Santa in a Coca-Cola ad, dressed in red and white, and appeared as Santa for 35 years, until approximately 1965. Meaning, Santa, who was earlier selling Christianity, now started selling Coca Cola.

Author Jeremy Seal, in his book Nicholas the Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus, describes how the image of Santa Claus was exploited for business in the 19th century. Somewhere Santa was selling bells and somewhere else umbrellas. These are really the things in the world that he emerged from, Seal said in an interview. Meaning, Christmas tree, bells etc. all these are inspired only by the business of 19th century and nothing else. Which has become a business worth billions today. Even in countries like India, Christmas tree bells have become a large scale business. It is said that shopping or other purchases worth about Rs 5 lakh crore are done through some means or the other, which is more than the Diwali shopping. But it is infamous Diwali! Because Diwali firecrackers cause harm and Christmas and New Year firecrackers provide oxygen to the atmosphere?

However, in the seventies and eighties, when Santa was selling products of renowned companies on a large scale, the Vatican’s Pope once again noticed him. Thought why not serve Christianity through them again in the modern society! Santa’s army was quickly renamed to Saint Nicholas. The school curriculum was prepared as per the rules and the story of the children being told that Santa Uncle comes at night to keep gifts for them. George Melacrino’s popular song Mrs. Santa Claus The sixties children’s book How Mrs. Santa Claus Saved Christmas, written by Phyllis Mac Ginley, made the character of Mrs. Santa Claus very popular and true, making it a standard character. Installed. After this, the story of Santa Claus started being taught in schools in countries like India also. But in reality it was an entire army, which has been working in schools, colleges and settlements in India for the last few years. There is a book written by the largest organization of Christians, “The Plain Truth World Wide Church of God”. In it it is written that whether right or wrong, common people are laggards, just as sheep quietly enter the slaughterhouse behind others. This holds true in India. Christian missionaries saw the people here as sheep and made full use of it.

People today think that he is just a Santa but this is a big army. However, in the last few years, many cases of theft by impersonating Santa have come to light; in many places, those who robbed shops and houses were none other than Santa Claus himself. But still the people of India are not aware of this impersonation of the Christian organization that it is not a saint but a tool, sometimes a means of selling Pepsi and Coca Cola and sometimes a means of selling Christmas trees or bells, which has previously sold Christianity and now Is also selling.

BY-Rajeev Choudhary