Tuesday, December 05, 2006

The History of Black Santa:  St. Nick’s Surprising Heritage

Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati

Our recent article entitled ”Where’s Black Santa?” drew several criticisms from those who argued that the character of Santa is a white character—and that therefore changing his race is an example of political correctness gone awry.  As it turns out, history has something to say on the matter of Black Santa, and it might just change your perspective on the whole debate!

The Cincinnati Beacon received an email from Paco D. Taylor, an independent scholar originally from Chicago who currently resides in Tucson, Arizona.  He provided a link to ” The Secret Santa,” an excerpt from his work-in-progress entitled Oh, When the Saints...

Below is a photo and a passage from his chapter.  I recommend following the link above and reading the whole thing, but the history contained here may cause you to rethink your stance on Black Santa.

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For the Church of Europe religious relics from the East, including the remains of its holy men, were of immense value—in both religious and economic terms. And in those days churches were all about the business of acquiring relics. So much so that on May 9, 1087 AD, a group of men from the Italian port city of Bari, raided the tomb of Nicholas at Myra, and stole the bishop’s remains. Back in Bari, a basilica named for Nicholas was built to shelter the coveted relics. They lie beneath the altar in the crypt to this day.

In the right transept, a side chapel at the Basilica of St. Nicholas, on a wall above a priceless silver altar hangs a nearly life-sized painting of the bishop of Myra. It is called “San Nicola Nero,” which translates from the Italian as “St. Nicholas the Black” or “Black St. Nicholas.” And positioned at the center of this surprising painting is Nicholas of Myra, rendered as a bushy-bearded black man ...

Hidden Tradition

To say the least, the “San Nicola Nero” painting is a surprising image, one full of meaning and reverence. Not so surprising, however, is the lack of documentation anywhere which tells how—in addition to the now commonplace images of St. Nicholas as white skinned—for centuries, images like this one at the Bari Basilica, have depicted the patron saint of Christmas with the features of African or Asiatic black populations.

Also in Bari, in an 11th century chapel inside the Norman Castle of Sannicandro, a weathered statue of a Black St. Nicholas endures. And elsewhere in Southern Italy, at the churches of Aradeo, Maglie, Mileto and Picerno, centuries-old statues and/or paintings of San Nicola Nero prevail.

Outside Italy, in Spain and Russia, where St. Nicholas is one of the most revered of all the saints, images that depict him as a dark skinned man are preserved. As far away as South America, at the Cathedral of San Nicolas de Bari in La Rioja, Argentina, a life-sized statue of “San Nicolas Negro” or “Black St. Nicholas” has been a celebrated icon of the church since 1640, when it was brought to the region by the Spanish.

“His representations in art are as various as his alleged miracles,” is the very most the Catholic Encyclopedia will offer a curious researcher on the image of St. Nicholas. And met with an old-time secret so guardedly kept, one cannot help but wonder if there are still other places left in the world where the old image of St. Nicholas with a blackamoor’s complexion lingers. 

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funnelcake says:
05 Dec 2006  at  08:31 am | #

According to this,
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=28
St. Nicholas was born in the greek village of Patara around 275 AD, which sits on the southern coast of modern day Turkey.

The one thing that is important is that the names, mythology, representations and traditions of Santa Claus change throughout the world.  It is an evolving myth that adapts to each culture.  It is a myth that evolves over time.  When did he get his 8 reindeer?  When did he get the the one with the shinny red nose?  It’s a set of stories that gets told and retold over time.

For a guy that visits almost every home in a 24 hour period and can fit down the a chimney, corresponds in just about every language and is knowledgeable about all of the customs and traditions of children throughout the world, I don’t find it surprising that this jolly old elf can transform in both dress, appearance and style.

Make of it what you will.  But Santa Claus really is many things to many people.

funnelcake says:
05 Dec 2006  at  08:35 am | #

I remember growing up having a book in the house about the various representations and traditions of Santa Claus throughout the world.

If you can find one Dean I think you might it of value.
In the mean time, here is a very brief web glimpse
http://ask.yahoo.com/20041223.html

Quim says:
05 Dec 2006  at  09:00 am | #

Whatever, as long as he keeps the #@*%! Martians at bay.

N8Ball says:
05 Dec 2006  at  11:34 pm | #

How far you stretch to rationalize your self-loathing, Jason.  Really, it’s ok for mythological characters like Santa Claus to be white, if that’s the tradition.  Now what will you do to explain away Black Pete?

says:
06 Dec 2006  at  05:58 am | #

Yeah, it really is amazing how far I’ll go.  I mean, in this situation, I went so far as to contact a guy from AZ, getting him to conduct extensive research, to write a book, and then to post an excerpt online just so I could have a blog post about it.

Bearman says:
06 Dec 2006  at  08:04 am | #

Looking at this and the previous editorial post, it seems that many of the responses show that we have certain expectations that have been ingrained in us and when we are presented with other characterizations it throws us off.

I remember having a GI Joe doll when I was a little kid.  He wore fatigues, had a plastic gun, and was technologically advanced because he had a pull string that could make him say a bunch of different things.  Oh and he was black.  So my image growing up of who GI Joe is, was that of a black man.  I was excited when I got older to see that they were making a GI Joe cartoon so I could see my image of him come to life.  Much to my dismay, he was portrayed as a white guy.

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