Why does Santa Claus have a beard?

Few saints are so strong, respected, known and tender as the figure of Santa Claus, which has traveled many kilometers and has been quite transmuted. We can see in his present form many male elements that blend the best of power and love.

It Wasn’t Always What It Is Now  

At Kaloni we researched texts and stories that speak about the origin of the figure of Santa Claus, especially his beard. You will see how his tender and authority figure is created through its representations, as we know him today. 

1. There is no certainty about when the figure of Santa Claus emerged. While some texts placed it in the 4th century, others speak of the 6th century, that is, more than 200 years apart. 
2. One of the people we owe the present figure of Santa Claus was born in Anatolia, Turkey: Bishop of Myra, sometimes depicted in a red robe and white beard. He was a good and tender man with children, sometimes violent with heretics. Along with other relics, his body was moved to Italy, where people began to speak of the bishop and tell about his miracles. 
3. Another version says that it is not Bishop of Myra but a Catholic adaptation of the god Odin, king of the Norse gods. We are quite aware that where the Catholic faith came from, saints were created to resemble their inhabitants or beliefs. 
4. Odin wore a blue coat, long, white beard. He was accompanied by his grey horse Sleipnir and came from the north to give house gifts. That’s how it became “father Christmas.” 
5. The Saint of prostitutes? One of the oldest stories that people tell is about St. Nicholas, a rich man who, upon losing his fortune, feels that the only way to solve his situation is to prostitute his daughters. Knowing this, for three nights, the Saint threw three bags of gold anonymously through the window. With this story, it is implied that the Saint protected daughters from prostitution, delivering money easily to avoid “necessity”. However, one might think more about kicking the father for such an idea than leaving him gold out the window.  That is why sex workers turn to the Saint to protect them in their complicated line of work. 
6. Others say that its origin lies in the Netherlands’ tradition, which used to celebrate Sinterklaas. This celebration’s central figure was a legendary character who brought gifts to children (also known as the children’s saint). 
7. The first time the name Santa Claus was officially written in the media was in a New York newspaper from 1600. 
8. The big, smiling, veteran and warmhearted figure we know worldwide is owed to Coca-Cola’s marketing use. What?! Coke, did you say? Yes, indeed, I’ll explain why now. 

Did Coca-Cola Create Santa Claus? 

To think that the beverage company has created the image of the most famous character of Christmas can be a little odd and even truculent. 

Thanks to its marketing team’s creativity, today, we can see hundreds of Santas on the streets, exactly in the same outfit, which is undoubtedly associated with its peculiar red and white color.  

The first time Santa Claus appeared in a Coca-Cola ad was in 1931, to bring his products closer to children audiences. It was an illustration made by designer Haddon Sundblom who was able to rescue the generous and endearing essence of traditional myths of Christianity and popular culture. He never thought that his design would go to history as a universal symbol of Christmas. 

But let’s go as far as we’re concerned: Santa’s famous beard. Why does he have a beard? What does it mean, and generally, why do authority figures have these white beards? 

Beard Significance and Symbology

Remembering that the Christian tradition rescues much from its mother culture, which is Judaism, we can understand why many saints are presented with abundant beards, where perhaps one of the most important examples for Mexicans is that of Saint Juan Diego, the man who receives indications of the Lady of Guadalupe to build his Basilica. 

At that time, Juan Diego was described as a low and brown man, with an incipient mustache, belonging to the Chichimecas. But, when he was beatified in 1990 and sanctified in 2002 by Pope John Paul II, his image changed quite a bit, as it is officially portrayed with an important black beard. Why? An elegant explanation can be found in Jewish rabbis or priests. 

For rabbis who practice Hebrew Kabbalah, the beard is so important because it connects the head to the heart, even avoid cutting it with scissors and in many ways, to shave or trim the beard implies some sort of renewal. 

The meaning of the beard in Judaism is also associated with the moment a man goes from puberty to maturity. That’s when you can face yourself as a man in the community and acquire responsibilities and knowledge that a child or adolescent could not accomplish. 

A long beard speaks of age and maturity, probably of a greater position in priestly societies. Hence different gods were represented with long beards. 

And what about the Santa’s voice on his ho ho ho? 

A little science helps us understand why thick voices give us peace, having excellent examples in film, commercials, stories, and opera. 

There are many videos on the internet where big strong men are frightened; they give loud squeaky screams, which can be momentary or last as long as they keep running in fear.

Anthropologists explain that the tendency to sharpen the voice in a moment of danger is to make it look like the cry of a baby, which we translate as an urgent need for attention. Explained in another way, I ask you to imagine someone attacked by a hungry lion, screaming with the voice of the cat in Shrek’s movie: 

Hey, guys, this lion is eating me. 

Well, no, as we’ve seen in the movies, he’d drop a super-sharp, terrible meow. 

Hence the thick and deep voices have always represented serenity and authority, strength, and control, a good example of the voice and characteristic laughter attributed to Santa Claus. 

A long beard plus a big smile reveal a kind of tenderness

A large man with a velvet’s grave voice, who also smiles, represents an authority figure. The poet Charles Baudelaire would say: “A big smile is a beautiful giant face”, and in Kaloni we believe so because it generates security and empathy. 

Santa’s smile at a moment as delicate as delivering toys to a child is a sign of trust, tranquillity, sufficiency and candor; or you tell me if it’s not true that when you have everything under control at work, it’s easier to smile. 

If you put together a beard, smiles, a grave voice and generosity towards the most vulnerable people, along with a hint of hope: Then you are Santa Claus! 

While it is true that Coca-Cola trained the modern saint, I want to talk to you about the idea of giving, which is revolutionary if you learn to be generous to yourself. I’ll talk about this topic on the blog soon. Stay tuned. 

In the meantime, tell us what you thought of this brief story about the meaning of Santa’s beard. Leave us your comments down here.