Some people claim that without Coca-Cola, there would be no Santa Claus as we know him today. From Saint Nicholas to Sinterklaas and 19th-century illustrators, the look and legend of Santa Claus have roots that stretch much further than 1930s soda advertising. Berlin (dpa) – "Coca-Cola did not create the legend of Santa Claus." The myth that the many-named gift-bringer of Christmas was invented by a soda brand is so persistent that even Coca-Cola has had to step in to clear up the facts. After all, most people picture Santa as an older, bearded, white-haired and portly man in a red and white suit – in other words, precisely how Coca-Cola depicted him in its 1930s advertising. However, while the company may not have invented him, it admits its advertising did help shape and spread the contemporary image of Father Christmas. Coca-Cola explains that from 1931 the company’s commissioned illustrator Haddon Sundblom established the image of a warm-hearted, portly man in a red and white coat. This depiction, distributed internationally in advertisements and posters, then became the visual standard in various portrayals of Santa. he real roots of the modern Santa reach much further back. Historically, the figure is based on Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century bishop from what is now Turkey. In medieval Europe, legends spread about Saint Nicholas, patron of children and the poor, giving rise to numerous regional traditions. The figure is said to have reached North America in the 17th century via Dutch immigrants. Their "Sinterklaas", carried by early settlers in Nieuw Amsterdam, evolved into "Santa Claus" in the English-speaking world. Because many Protestant congregations in North America rejected the veneration of Catholic saints, the gift-giving later shifted from St Nicholas Day on December 6 (the death day of Saint Nicholas of Myra) towards Christmas (December 24 or 25). In the 19th century Santa Claus took on a literary form. Writer Washington Irving described him as a jolly, chubby Dutchman as early as 1809. A decisive influence came from the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", which for the first time brought together key elements such as the reindeer-drawn sleigh, the night-time visit via the chimney and the distribution of presents. Towards the end of the 19th century illustrators refined the visual appearance. German-born caricaturist Thomas Nast developed the visual features from 1863 for US news magazine "Harper’s Weekly". He created a sturdy, bearded man in varying red and white versions, who was depicted as living at the North Pole, supported by helper elves and dealing with wish lists. The Nast images, which are still used today, were picked up by Coca-Cola's illustrator. Haddon Sundblom’s warmly rendered Santa – human, friendly, approachable – gave the figure a unified look. With the spread of US pop culture after World War II, this version of Santa Claus became established worldwide and has lasted until today. The following information is not intended for publication dpa mfl yyzz a3 sik
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