by 
Linda Joy
ANSWERS: 2
-
Santa means something else in Spanish. They call him Papa Noel. Although since there has been so many Mexicans coming and going back and forth between countries, they have sort of adopted Santa Clas. They even have a couple of songs about Baile te baile Santa Clas, jo jo jo. 4/6/23
-
Santa Fe, Santa Monica, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara? Santa Claus? It's all very confusing, because Christmas lore is so weird. "Santa" in English (sometimes "Santa" in Spanish as well) is usually referred to as "Papa Noel," analogous with "Father Christmas" (as he is known in most non-US English-speaking countries), whereas "Saint Nicolas" is known in Spanish as San Nicolas. The US name of Santa Claus is kind of an amalgam of English and Dutch/German tradition, where Nicolas is Nickolaus, and Klaus is a very common short form of the name (as "Nick" is to "Nicholas" in English)... but Saint Nicolas was a real person, and Weinachtsmann/Father Christmas/Papa Noel is a fictional character, loosely based on a mixture of the real St. Nicolas as well as tons of legendary figures (like Jolnir, the Old Nordic "Yule Man") and fictional characters (like the Ghost of Christmas Present from Dickens' A Christmas Carol). Further confusing the tradition is the fact that the character continues to this day to diverge in different cultures, which often share their traditions with other cultures due to greater globalization of cultures.
dalcocono RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC