10 interesting facts about Santa Claus

(Baonghean.vn) - Where is Santa Claus from? Why does he wear red? How much does Santa Claus earn? Let's find out the answers this Christmas.

1. Where is Santa Claus's hometown?

The first Santa Claus lived on an ear-shaped mountain in eastern Lapland, in the Korvatunturi mountain range, in the 1920s.

Legend has it that the first Santa Claus lived on an ear-shaped mountain in eastern Lapland, in the Korvatunturi mountain range, in the 1920s, with elves, so he could hear all the wishes of children around the world.

Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, is considered the "home" of Santa Claus. Located near the Arctic Circle, the village is where he lives and works year-round. The village boasts numerous attractions, including Santa's office, the elves' residence, Santa's post office, and a Christmas bakery. The village is bustling with activity and welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists every Christmas.

2. Why does Santa Claus wear a red suit?

One of many Coca-Cola advertisements. Photo: Thefactsite.

In literary history, Santa Claus was associated with a green suit because Westerners believed it was the color that heralded the arrival of spring, bringing growth and prosperity to plants and livestock.

In 1930, Coca-Cola chose Santa Claus as the face of its Christmas advertising campaign. At that time, Santa Claus wasn't yet very famous. To promote the brand, Coca-Cola created a Santa Claus wearing a red suit, the company's traditional color, happily holding a bottle of Coca-Cola.

Unexpectedly, the product gained even more consumer support. And so, year after year, Coca-Cola continued to maintain and enhance the image of Santa Claus in a red and white suit.

3. Why does Santa Claus climb in through the chimney?

According to legend, Santa Claus usually climbs down the chimney to bring presents to children on Christmas Eve. (Illustration: Zavtoski)

The tradition of Santa Claus climbing down the chimney to deliver presents to children is popular in many European countries. According to tradition in pre-Christian Northern Europe, the god Odin would enter homes through chimneys and fireplaces on the summer solstice. In the Italian folklore Befana, the witch delivering gifts gets covered in soot from climbing down the chimney to give presents to children.

In the story of Saint Nicholas, he throws coins out the window, and a later version depicts him climbing down the chimney when he finds the window locked. In the painting "The Feast of Saint Nicholas" by the Dutch artist Jan Steen, many adults and children look up at the chimney with expectant faces, while other children play happily with toys.

4. There's an entire village of Santa Clauses.

The Santa Claus village in Finland is like something out of a dream.

Santa Claus Village is located in the city of Rovaniemi, Lapland province, Finland. It's a place that embodies everything one might imagine a secluded haven for Santa Claus. The village, named Santa Claus Village, has existed for over 20 years and attracts a large number of tourists.

The post office here receives over 32,000 letters each Christmas season, and Santa Clauses are tasked with answering each one. The village itself has about 40 wooden bungalows, large enough for families to vacation there during the Christmas season.

5. Santa Claus may be richer than Bill Gates.

The cost of producing toys costs Santa Claus more than $24 billion every year.

According to research by Design by Soap, Santa Claus spends a total of over $24 billion each year. The majority of this enormous expense comes from the most important job of any Santa: producing toys.

Based on United Nations population data, there are currently approximately 2.4 billion children aged 17 or younger worldwide. On average, the cost of producing and packaging just one toy for one child can be as high as $10. Multiplying this by the total number of children mentioned above, the total cost would amount to $24.3 billion.

6. How much does Santa Claus earn?

Santa Claus's job is comparable to that of an industrial engineer and can earn him a salary of up to $116,742 USD per year.

Santa Claus's job is comparable to that of an industrial engineer and can earn him up to $116,742 a year. In addition, Santa Claus can also be a pilot, at least once a year, when he has to throw presents down chimneys.

After listing up to 15 types of jobs Santa Claus could do, people started calculating hourly wages and roughly annual salaries. If someone were willing to pay Santa Claus a salary, this employer would have to spend $140,000 USD.

7.The longest-serving Santa Claus in the UK.

Ray Hulse, 73, has spent 55 years playing Santa Claus and delivering presents to children throughout Shropshire, England.

The 73-year-old man has been playing Santa Claus for 55 years and still intends to continue the job until he's 100. That's Ray Hulse. He started playing Santa Claus in 1962, when he was 18 years old. For decades, he has brought gifts and joy to thousands of children during Christmas, according to The Sun.

Mr. Hulse, 73, is a retired postman. He has two children and a grandchild and lives in Bridgnorth, Shorpshire, in western England. A man who loves Christmas, he says he still plans to be Santa Claus until he's 100. After his son Nicolas passed away in 2012, he started fundraising for children at the Hope Children's Hospital. To date, he has raised nearly $70,000.

8. The world's most unique collection of multi-million dollar "Santa Claus" figurines.

According to James Rahe, collecting Santa Claus figures is a part of his life. This year alone, he has added 500 new members to his "museum."

With a particular passion for Santa Claus, American James Rahe has been collecting Santa Claus memorabilia with his father since he was a young boy. Now, at age 37, James has amassed a unique collection worth over $100,000.

James Rahe and his wife, Megan, currently display over 4,000 Santa Claus memorabilia items in a dedicated space, arranged just like a museum. He even offers tours for fellow enthusiasts or anyone curious to see this "Santa Claus museum."

9. Who is Santa Claus's wife?

Santa Claus is believed to have originated from Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Sinter Klass, Pere Noel, and many others from a very long time ago. Mrs. Claus, on the other hand, is also known as Mother Christmas, Mary Christmas, Jessica Mary, Dolores, Matha, Goody, Maya, Anwyn, or Layla.

Santa Claus doesn't always have Mrs. Claus by his side. In fact, it was commonly thought that Santa Claus was a single man until 1849, when James Rees published a short story called "The Legend of Christmas Eve," which mentioned that Santa Claus had a wife.

10. Santa Claus tracking app

Many parents and children are familiar with the Santa Tracker app, but few know that this clever app originated from a printing error.

In 1955, instead of providing a phone number for children to talk to Santa Claus, a Sears advertisement mistakenly printed the wrong number, leading to the Director of Operations of the U.S. Air Force – Colonel Harry Shoup. He instructed his staff to update children on Santa's movements, thus creating the fun app we have today.

Kim Ngoc

(Synthetic)