if Santa Claus is white?

[pstokely]

then I assume he's also American (from a Midwestern or Southern state) and speaks english

[Grey Lemercier]

1. Santa Claus doesn't exist

An imaginary being can be made into any colour or ethnicity to suit whatever needs a person has.

[gordianot]

4. Correct and Santa Clause is a very clever early commercial sales gimmick.

Participation in this sales ploy is entirely voluntary, actually giving things to other people is not so bad. Some people enjoy the quasi religious aspects, music, decorations which is OK you get to choose. Attributing racial identity to a made up sales gimmick is not OK.

[baldguy]

2. Just like Jesus.

[TwilightZone]

15. My exact thought

[greymattermom]

3. He's an advertising gimick

for Coca Cola. http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coke-lore-santa-claus

[ileus]

5. Santa was white at my house as a kid.

He died a little less than 2 years ago now.



FWIW the Santa my kids knew for their short period of time (3-7 years???) well he was also white.


Both spoke english are were/are citizens of America. So to answer you question...Yes.

[Glassunion]

6. Actually he most likely spoke Greek, and perhaps some other languages

Prominent in the coastal regions of the Eastern Mediterranean.

He may have been white'ish, but most likely a darker skin color prominent in the same region.

[lapfog_1]

7. Santa Claus, as we know him

is an amalgamation of one historical character and a group of germanic / nordic shamans...

There was a St. Nicholas, who was a priest and made children, especially orphan children, his mission. He was ethnic Greek, but was born (and died) in modern day Turkey. It is very unlikely that he was "white" (middle eastern would be more accurate).


In addition, in pre-Christian era Germany and Nordic countries, there was a tradition of shaman priests who, in the winter time, would travel from homestead to homestead, often using a sleigh (reindeer likely) and would literally land on a roof (the snow would be that deep). Also, because the show was that deep, often the only way in and out was, in fact, a chimney. They would bring small things that the homestead would need in the middle of winter and, mostly, bring news of neighbors or of the nearest village. They were often treated royally by the homeowner, in trade for the small items they carried and the news they would bring. These shaman also used drugs, in particular, a mushroom which was red with white spots to go on spiritual quests. So great was the dependency on this mushroom, the shamans would often color their winter fur coats to match the coloration of their favorite mushroom and to identify themselves at a distance as shamans and not a thief or someone out to do harm.

Add to that the other traditions of the pagan midwinter holiday (holy day) that was generally celebrated 3 days after the winter solstice (because the days were now detectable as getting longer again), i.e. December 25... with an evergreen tree and feast and even holly and mistletoe and you have the makings of the Christian holy day of Christmas (although it is clear by reading the story of the birth of Jesus that the story was NOT set in winter).

Catholics were great at keeping the popular pagan holidays and turning them into their own. Add St. Nicholas of Turkey... and a little Coca-Cola re-imaging... and you have the modern day Christmas and Santa Claus.

[lunatica]

13. Thanks!

I love learning new things! I like your story so much that I'm going to assume it's factual.

[lapfog_1]

18. links

http://www.livescience.com/42077-8-ways-mushrooms-explain-santa.html

http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/fatherchristmas.shtml

[lunatica]

21. Thanks again!

You're raising my IQ!

[snooper2]

8. Why does Santa go through the chimney?

Because Mrs. Claus told him he would never get in the back door.





There, now thread is worthwhile

[jmg257]

9. Yep - and he looks a lot like that guy from the documentary on dinosaurs - Jurassic Park.

Or maybe it was Tim Allen?

[jmg257]

10. And if Santa is green, he may look and sound a lot like Canadian/American Jim Carrey.

[Skittles]

11. Santa Claus is whatever a child wants him to be

[Behind the Aegis]

12. Asian

George Takei Verified account 
?@GeorgeTakei
Watching people meltdown over a Black Santa in the Mall of America. "Santa is white!" Well, in our internment camp he was Asian. So there.

Now, if that isn't sobering and heartbreaking, I don't know what it.

[linuxman]

14. Usually.

[Iggo]

16. White like Jesus or Barbie, and just as real.

[romanic]

17. I'm just so sick of everything being politicized.

Santa is whatever one wants to be or identifies with.

[Maru Kitteh]

19. Magyn Kelly assured us Santa and Jesus are both white because

well they just are, okay?

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/12/megyn-kelly-jesus-and-santa-were-white-179491

"Jesus was a white man, too. It's like we have, he's a historical figure that's a verifiable fact, as is Santa, I just want kids to know that. How do you revise it in the middle of the legacy in the story and change Santa from white to black?"

Santa Claus can be traced to a real life monk named St. Nicholas who lived in what is today Turkey, according to the History Channel. Jesus Christ was born to a Jewish family around what is now Israel, and his race has long been debated with several scholars saying he likely looked like what many modern day people of Middle Eastern descent look like.

[Amishman]

20. Santa is always the preferred race/ethnicity of the observer and speaks their language

If the observer would prefer a female Santa, that will happen as well.

Why? Because Santa is MAGIC.