San Nicolás

In Spain, the preparation for Christmas starts on December 6. It is San Nicolás' name day and also Spain's Constitution Day.

San Nicolás was bishop of Myra. It is located in present-day Turkey. He was known for his generosity, love of children and care for the seafarers. In the year 655 he was made a saint.

He is a popular figure in the Catholic world. Over 2000 churches - often located by the sea - are named after him. San Nicolás is also known in Denmark. Here too, many churches are named after him (including St. Nikolaj Church) and names such as Nikolaj, Niels and Klaus are derived from Nicolás.

In America, San Nicolás was called Santa Claus, perhaps inspired by the fact that the Dutch called him Sinklaas.

At the beginning of the 1800s, Santa Claus became Father Christmas, who brings gifts to the children on 25 December.

The tradition spread to England and Northern Europe.

Our modern Santa Claus was created by Coca-Cola. In 1931, in an advertisement, they introduced a Santa Claus with a coat and hat in the red color of Coca Cola, flaring cheeks and a white beard. Two years later, Walt Disney produced the cartoon Santa's Workshop and used Coca-Cola's Santa Claus as the main character. The Americans believe Santa Claus lives at the North Pole. In Denmark he is believed to live in Greenland, while the Finns claim he lives in Rovaniemi in northern Finland. 

In Alicante, San Nicolás' name day is celebrated with a service in La Concatedral de San Nicolás – a cathedral built in the 1600th century on top of a mosque built by the Moors. After the service, a team of 40 people carries a statue of San Nicolás out of the cathedral. The entourage is the main attraction in a procession that goes around the old town. A white car drives at the back of the procession. From here, gifts are distributed to the children. When San Nicolás is carried back to his place in the cathedral, according to legend, he goes to the Netherlands and distributes gifts to the children.