Legends of Santa Around the World | Full Documentary | TRACKS

Santa's image is almost universally recognisable as one of Christianity's most enduring and popular legends, yet the seemingly timeless jolly old man with his bag of toys, steering his reindeer and sliding down chimneys, is a relatively modern image.
The Legends of Santa shows how today's image of Father Christmas is a culmination of centuries of history and legend.
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From The Legends of Santa
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[@ironcladranchandforge7292]

If everybody on planet Earth had the same culture and beliefs, what a boring world we would live in. I really enjoyed this video.

[@katrin896]

Iceland does it a little bit differently. We don't have just one Jólasveinn (Icelandic for Santa Clause). We have 13. They are brothers who live in the mountains with their mother Gryla, their father Leppaludi, and their giant black Christmas cat. 12 days before Christmas the brothers come down from the mountains, one by one. In the olden days, they came to terrorize people, especially children. They used to be very mischievous so they got their names from whatever mischief they did. The first brother to visit children is Sheep Cote Clod, then comes Gully Gawk, then Stubby, Spoon Licker, Pot Licker, Bowl Licker, Door Slammer, Skyr Gobbler, Sausage Swiper, Window Peeper, Dorway Sniffer, Meat Hook, and the last is Candle Stealer. Today they don't terrorize children, today children leave a shoe in the window and every night, 12 days before Christmas, the children get little presents in their shoes, depending on if they've been naughty or nice. If they've been nice they get candy or toys, if they've been naughty they get a rotten potato. Although the brothers have turned nice, their mother hasn't. She still threatens to come down to kidnap naughty children, put them in her sack, take them with her to the mountains, boil them in her cauldron and eat them. As for the Christmas cat, well, if you don't get new clothes for Christmas, he will come down and eat you. Nice stuff :)

[@caseyturner8773]

I gotta visit for this

[@libbyhicks7549]

Sounds like Halloween and Christmas got all rolled up into one. Around here, the scary cauldron types are out around late october. By december all that has been managed.

[@jacquelynejohnson9127]

Thanks wish I could of used the idea with my kids growing up.i was told if I was naughty growing up I'd get Cole in my stocking . I figured Cole represent Satan , fire brimstone or , Cole could be used for heating

[@garycarpenter2980]

I know the story its new to me I've never heard it before till now

[@valkyrie1066]

I'm going to look some more of that up, sounds interesting! I remember hearing about the black cat and the clothing, but without context.

[@frawldog]

I’m 36 and still believe in Santa 🎅

[@unoriented_x4957]

There are many effective treatment methodologies for this issue.

[@BabsChannel]

Me too. I'm 28. I still believe in the goodness and purity that is Santa. His spirit lives on.

[@skyrim0377]

I'm 10 years old and I believe in Santa

[@garycarpenter2980]

So do I and I'm twice your age

[@jacquelynejohnson9127]

I believe in the idea of santa at 60. Strangely enough I put out cookies and milk 3-4 years ago and was shocked for some reason that they were eaten in morning. I forgotten that I ate the cookies,drank the milk and nibbled on the carrots to make it look like the reindeer ate for my children's sake , I guess putting the cookies out that year 3-4 years ago I really expected Santa show up and eat the cookies. Where's buddy because I could of made the sleigh fly that Christmas Eve. Have a merry Christmas.

[@shibolinemress8913]

Sir David Attenborough is the perfect narrator for this, and the child voiceovers are soooo cute! 😁☃️🎅🎄🎁🥳

[@louisewenman-james7487]

Richard

[@shibolinemress8913]

@@louisewenman-james7487 Oops! They sound so similar! 🤦😊 Thanks for the correction!

[@terryrollins1973]

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night 🎅🎄

[@oriasol2040]

Merry Christmas to you all 🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

[@maryearll3359]

Santa Claus is the American for the English Father Christmas and I was always bought up to believe present giving on 25th December was in recognition of the shepherds and Magi bringing gifts to Jesus. I prefer to liken the custom to that of St Nicholas aka Good King Wenceslas, never forgetting there are folk who have nothing. Peace and love to you all.

[@v.dargain1678]

I was brought up similarly . We copy the gift bringing magi every December 25th .

[@nphipps9406]

love seeing all the different type of christmas celebrations around the world. i even learned that red was not the original colour

[@NPGLAMB]

i love learning the story of santa all over the world :)

[@tsc6454]

I turn 60 tomorrow and still absolutely believe. I've seen his magic at work far too many times to ever doubt his existence

[@ms.ravenwood]

@@tsc6454 Satan Claws

[@tsc6454]

@@ms.ravenwood I pity anyone with filled with so much hate

[@jorijeffrey6451]

Oh wow! What you said about the Goddess Hertha... that's where HEARTH came from! The fireplace!

[@athansky25]

Saturnalia, held in mid-December, is an ancient Roman pagan festival honoring the agricultural god Saturn. Because its near the Winter Solstice - Saturnalia celebrations are the source of many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas, such as wreaths, candles, feasting and gift-giving. 🎅

[@thewkovacs316]

as is yule

[@MsK-xm7vw]

One thing we all know for certain is that, no matter how he appears, Santa Clause can brighten the heart of any child and bring hope to every adult.

[@johnkeller6063]

I love this video. Brings back childhood memories

[@v.dargain1678]

I love it too . I didn't want to let go of Santa once I got grown , so I researched who he was .

[@jeffaltier5582]

What a fun and entertaining video. Excellent!

[@pepelebref7104]

Merry christmas all! 🎄

[@DrAri-jm3bl]

I am glad I am watching this.

[@YSLRD]

The best story about St. Nicholas wasn't mentioned. At the council of Nicea, he punched Arius for heresy for denying the deity of Christ.

[@libbyhicks7549]

How very 'christlike' of him. I don't think anyone who would make it to the council of Nicea would be in a space to "punch" any other council member for having a different take on the christ deity bit.

[@dittmannrudolfrohr2149]

Arius turned his other cheek.

[@eddesa5134]

@@libbyhicks7549 Yes but thankfully they had a Pope to reconcile their argument and admonish their behaviour. All the splits amongst Christians (the Great Schism when the Orthodox broke away from the Catholic church in the 11th Century; then the subsequent spilts which continue even today within the Orthodox churches that followed when they no longer had a Pope to arbitrate amongst their debates that similarly turned into infighting; later still the Protestant Deformation in the 16th Century when heretics broke away from the Catholic church; then all the inevitable subsequent infighting between heretics like Luther, Calvin etc so that not only did they create thousands of different denominations (each disagreeing with the others) without a Pope to arbitrate and reconcile them but also as Luther regretted when he realised all too late what he had done by getting rid of thee one Pope appointed by God, he had caused every protestant to become each their own Pope without any legitimate authority, thus every protestant finding some disagreement and fight with another.

[@libbyhicks7549]

@@eddesa5134 Yes, many indiscretions purported through those that would claim to be the messenger of the will of God. But it gravely saddens me to see our good pope today, encouraging his disciples to take the "mark of the beast" for the 'for-profit mediacal industrial complex'. I don't know who got him to leave his post and work for the Cabal but we really could've used his support in these perilous times.

[@eldritchpumpkinghost2968]

Damn wtf. Santa was playing no games.

[@Katie-zv3iu]

At the beginning of the documentary, when the narrator was talking about the "fluid" coming from St. Nicholas' tomb, the visuals were actually of Holy Communion being received/eaten, not this fluid mentioned. The "fluid" from St. Nicholas' tomb is myrrh, and is not consumed. Just a note. :)

[@thisisit3333]

Myrrh was an oil used during burials.

[@Katie-zv3iu]

@@thisisit3333 You're right! I'm talking about the video clips shown at that part of the documentary. They showed Communion happening, not the people eating the oil.

[@Alexis-qs7dm]

You’re right. I also noticed the same. Not sure if it was intentional or not. Overall it’s a good documentary though.

[@eddesa5134]

Just one of the many errors and misinformation in this clip :(

[@simeonmaximofernandez9945]

Merry Christmas! To everyone in the world.

[@Warped9]

This is excellent!

[@kingdingaling2469]

This was posted on My Birthday 🎂

[@jacquelynejohnson9127]

Happy birthday belated to you 🎂🎈🤗 Mine is on the 30th of this month.

[@nenitaschmidt7197]

St Nikolaus was from Turkey, he was the bishop of Myra.

[@occidentadvocate.9759]

No he was not, because Turkey did not exist then!

[@tymanung6382]

He was from then Eastern Roman Empire, later became Turkey.

[@anarchorepublican5954]

🎅🏼Huzzah for Santa Claus !

[@Junkmailcrusades]

A culture to be proud of.

[@celinesleiman6001]

of paganism!!!

[@JayFolipurba]

I'm surprised as to how young the whole mythology is. Of course the actual start of the story is the old world, ancient Scandinavia, Germany/Central Europe and the Near East, where Santa is all Old Father Frost, but what we know as Santa apparently only existed for a few hundred years and the German Christkind has only recently morphed into that female angel figure which caused the name to make no sense, since it would have to literally be the Christ-child

[@dietlindvonhohenwald448]

In Germany it was Rübezahl who travelled overland with a sack of goods and distributed gifts of food and money to the poor. He was a real person and later in tradition got mixed up with the Saint, who was also a real person.

[@valkyrie1066]

I've found candy coal in MY stocking! I now need a Christmas witch!

[@kingdingaling2469]

It always leads back to The Worshiping of Saturn 🪐

[@dittmannrudolfrohr2149]

Winter solstice. You decorated Your Saturn tree already?

[@KajiRider1997]

Or Odin.

[@marycallahan1224]

St Nicolas pray for us

[@jacquelynejohnson9127]

I come from Columbus Ohio and in that city there is a saint Nicolas church, who looks like a human ( not like Santa Claus) I think good behavior is taught to children through santa clause where Cole for bad children could be explained later in life of hail fire brimstone until the age accountability when baptized later then it's the present of heaven for eternity vs children being good from year to year , just my interpretation, my mom brought me up to believe Santa Claus we know of was based on saint Nicolas s pious acts. Merry Christmas

[@rickythe2nd63]

Wow. This history was a whole lot weirder and ridiculous than I ever thought. Lol I'll just stick to celebrating Jesus. 😄❄️🎁🎄🙏🏽

[@shawnawiker9662]

Except Jesus was not born on Christmas day. The celebration is all about saturnalia. Do little digging, and you will be horrified.

[@TheNickPenney]

I believe

[@nenitaschmidt7197]

The three kings brought gifts to babyJesus. According to the bible the three kings were from the east and it took a few years to travel to Bethlehem.

[@markherron1407]

Saint Nicholas is the 8 of Diamonds 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎 the Sun 😎 Card ♦️ and Merry Christmas 🎅 Blessings and Hugs 💜

[@srkh8966]

Anyone else know the song from Miracle on 34th Street?

[@Wotsitorlabart]

But everybody knows there ain't no Sanity Clause!

[@kingdingaling2469]

38:11 Weird

[@skyrim0377]

He eats a lot of cookies

[@jacquelynejohnson9127]

But Tim Allen had a milk intolerance for awhile.

[@DerekOfRivia]

Even though this is from 2008 it is from a much better time. That was the beginning of the decline.

[@dittmannrudolfrohr2149]

D-day was.

[@daveotuwa5596]

A Dutch boy wants a PlayStation console for Christmas. Parents shall not permit their children to play CALL OF DUTY, FORTNITE, ASSASSIN'S CREED and whatnot until they're of age. Right now, 'tis the limit of exclusively E-rated games.

[@daveotuwa5596]

Unless such games come with the console, those are the only ones that they're permitted to play till they get older. Since 'tis quite hard to find E-rated PlayStation games, Nintendo Switch would be an appropriate notion. ABIDE BY THE RULES OF THE ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE RATING BOARD (ESRB).

[@jacquelynejohnson9127]

I know small amount of saint Nicolas I was taught Santa Claus was based on saint Nicolas and his pious deeds , I was taught that if I was bad I would get Cole in my stocking, Cole ? For coming of hail fire and brimstone to come. Do we not teach our children to be good and they will be rewarded by Santa? When they are older of the age of accountability then the same is taught ( at least 60 years ago) that see you when you're sleeping goes to Jesus Christ. Santa coming down a chimney ? Well let's see , little ones , ummm ur right the windows and doors are locked, well he , he comes down the chimney, and he can't come down until ur asleep. ( Fingers crossed behind back) Merry Christmas to the idea of doing good and giving without expected return at Christmas. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night ✝️🕯️🎄🕯️

[@dittmannrudolfrohr2149]

It's the all-father coming on winter solstice.

[@partybarge2608]

😑😑😑😑

[@susannienow6226]

Yes I do. And I’m willing to bet this documentary was made before it was popular to look for things to be offended by.

[@janetappmeyer7483]

Isn't it nice that we now believe in respecting people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds?

[@j.b.4340]

@13:33

[@leilal8053]

A rather "Dry" documentary of a topic that should be cheerful and enjoyable.

[@MulToyVerse]

Well, even in Italy during the Holidays the boys still experience misandry.

[@bweber02]

Very good content but the narrator is very slurred and it’s quite distracting.

[@arladicey]

The narrator is the legendary Sir Richard Attenborough, and he's no longer young.

[@Canalcoholic]

He was about 84 when this was made.

[@Charlie-qc6su]

why the narrator whispering?

[@derekroberts6654]

I had an idea for a Santa lore or story… Imagine this: Santa Clause is not a man or a person.. it’s a political office you have to run and campaign for like a President or a Senator. Like the presidency you have a 4 year run and then you have to re-elected the majority of the children of the world for one more term.

[@brandonfoxhofmann7964]

Kid wanted a PlayStation…. Got dumb banana game.

[@Theperspectiveplus]

How does santa claus enter into houses with no chimneys

[@libbyhicks7549]

He also has great knowledge, all keys, all codes.

[@jacquelynejohnson9127]

It's a trade secret !!

[@tbobbiej7776]

Magic

[@HenryRaeburn367]

You'll be one of the notty children who'll be taken to Spain for year by black Peter 🎅

[@DerekOfRivia]

D'Peter

[@bve7397]

The English over the Dutch is annoying af

[@KajiRider1997]

Agreed. It sounds horrible especially how they tried to find the one kid who sounds the most posh ever lol afschuwlijk.

[@thekidfromiowa]

Yes I would've preferred subtitles instead. I'd like to be able to hear my ancestral language.

[@cheveronLI]

Santa Claus 🎅🏿 is a mushroom 🍄 shaman

[@tymanung6382]

There is a book called Psychedelic Santa that describes ancient German shaman taking psychedelic mushroom juice? to get high flying feeling. However, the impossible physical travel feats sound like ufo/uap time/space/di mension travel. Other research claims that the 3 kings in reality were all Persian Zoroaster religion astronomers/ priests who had connection + Israel, spoke Aramaic as 2nd language.

[@jessquinn6106]

In short Saint Nicholaus was a witch and performed magic and witchcraft.

[@Socratesgodfather]

This is hopeless belief in santa

[@Amy-ky5wr]

Wow the mass black-face of people dressing up as the Black Pete character in Amsterdam was a bit of a shock! Even more so how it went uncommented on in the documentary. Just looked it up, it IS a very controversial issue in the Netherlands and the black-face dressing-up seems to be being phased out.

[@indigoblue4791]

Thank goodness it's been phased out! Terrible idea and I was disappointed that it was put squarely in there without any explanation or attempt to say how unacceptable it is today to depict anyone in the black community in that manner. Way to spoil what could have been a enjoyable video by including that offensive and racist element.

[@tymanung6382]

Afro Dutch people from Aruba Curucao (+ Surinam?) are leading the movement. Strangely, Black Peet, a typical bad cop (Krampus, etc. character seems to be a Afro Spaniard (?), free or slave? as he takes bad children to Spain for re education.

[@ajrwilde14]

@@indigoblue4791 it doesn't represent Black people, it is a creature; it's not racist...if you choose to take offence that's on you

[@jackiemurray5426]

Documents mention "Black Peter" could be a male helping St. Nick and is black because of soot from chimneys.

[@Amy-ky5wr]

@@jackiemurray5426 that theory doesn't really hold, as Pete is depicted in clean clothes with afro hair. If it was just a white guy who's been up a chimney, he'd have dirty clothes, maybe be holding a chimney sweep's brush etc.

[@daveotuwa5596]

Bethlehem, part of the suburbs of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, shall be the original Xmas town. 'Tis where Jesus Christ was born in the event dubbed the Nativity, which made Xmas be established as a holiday. Nowadays, the biggest holiday in that country: Hanukkah!

[@daveotuwa5596]

'Tis similar to Xmas but week-long.

[@watermelonlalala]

Jesus can't get any respect.

[@daveotuwa5596]

@@watermelonlalala Oh yeah! 'Tis grounds why He was crucified for His sins. 3 days later, He rose from the grave 2 anticipate going to heaven on Ascension Thursday.

[@eddesa5134]

@@daveotuwa5596 Christmas is 12 days long.

[@daveotuwa5596]

@@eddesa5134 'Tis why there's Epiphany!

[@qinoqino7643]

KJV Bible Jeremiah 10 All

[@danielguevara9234]

I am hoping the body of Christ could come to the realization that Jesus left us one thing to do in remembrance of him, anything else is from the evil one and its corrupted Catholic church. Matthew 15:3 says ..Why then do yourselves violate the Commandments of God because of your tradition?... Christmas pretends to be light but is far away from it. Christians lie to their children, put a pagan tree in their homes, put sacrifices under it, put up (Catholic church) idols and call them decorations, become a hypocrite and be joyful that one day...Jesus says that we must change (born again) which means that we do not do it for a holiday but for the rest of our life. Be giving, be holy, be joyful, all these things God wants you to be year-round. Repent and turn away from it because it is not from your Lord that you received this but from a pagan tradition which the Lord warned us about.

[@petercole5858]

Jesus said we must eat His Flesh and drink His Blood or we won't have life. He also said to His Apostles whose sins you forgive are forgiven and whose sins you retain are retained. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the to the Kingdom and on upon Peter would be built Christ's Church.

[@MsDisneylandlover]

Y black Peter what the hell very stereotype. Smh. Sic as hell.

[@kimorareid3313]

Santa is not real

[@covenawhite4855]

But Santa is fun!! ☃️🎁🧸🎅

[@unoriented_x4957]

While the purported saint might not have been an actual person, the idea and the usefulness of it are real.

[@caseyturner8773]

You're not real

[@libbyhicks7549]

Well, we sure get a bunch of cool new goodies for free this time of year and someone is behind it, so tuche.

[@eddesa5134]

@@unoriented_x4957 The Saint is most certainly REAL. He was the kind generous Bishop of Myra (in modern day Turkey) who gifted money to a man who could not afford to pay for his daughters to marry. He also worked a number of miracles. His body was brought to Bari in Italy when the muslim Turks conquored his area of the Roman Byzantine Empire. In contrast the popular image created by protestants and atheists of a fat Caucasian with blue eyes, white hair wearing a red and white outfit who lives in the North Pole is fiction that bastardises the child's legends from European protestants from Germany and Holland who used the stories of Sinta 'Clas (Saint Nicholas) to bribe their kids to behave.

[@MsDisneylandlover]

Black Peter smh

[@kimberlykasimoff1447]

What a shame that the celebration of Christ's birth has to come to a witch being asked by the Three Wise Men where to find the Christ Child. There is nothing in Scripture of a witch interacting with the Three Wise Men. The Bible states "Suffer not a witch to live. We know what happened to King Saul when he went to the Witches of Endor. The Three Wise Men were directed by the stars and of course by God. The Bible does not say how many Wise Men there were, just that three types of gifts were given. There could have been more men who came bringing the same types of gifts, even gifts not listed in the Bible. Those gifts stated in the Bibical had meaning.

[@ms.ravenwood]

They where not wisemen they were warlocks who used astrology to follow the stars

[@carrinahanson9821]

Christmas predates Christianity. And that witch line didn't exist in the Bible until King James and his obsession with destroying any woman who was intelligent. He entered that story to justify what he was doing, basing it off of the Hammer of the Witch, a book written by a man who was rejected and later used it to have her "punished". Witches as Christianity depicted them didn't exist. Also, Christianity assimilated almost all their holidays from pagans in order to get them to convert. Christians were never supposed to celibate any of them. You were supposed to celebrate Jewish holidays with no idols.

[@indigoblue4791]

The Wise Men brought their own Witches with them in the accounts I've read.✨🌙🌟✨

[@kimberlykasimoff1447]

@@indigoblue4791 I missed that in the Bible. Actually it is not stated how many Wise Men there were, just three of the gifts that were given. All gifts had a meaning to them. I like to stick with the Bible. There is always someone coming up with their own ideas.

[@Wotsitorlabart]

@@indigoblue4791 That would be the Harry Potter version.

[@occidentadvocate.9759]

Father Christmas /Santa Claus is White. 🎅

[@hanssolos3699]

pagan worship that is now known as christmas. you're welcome.

[@dittmannrudolfrohr2149]

"Pagan"is an exonym.

[@partybarge2608]

All of it is lies, and the intermingling, of evil things, with so called Christianity.

[@alleystar7779]

“Replaced by a PLASTIC WESTERN SANTA!”… ooooo scary!! Meanwhile in Amsterdam hundreds of people go black-face. Let’s be honest: west Santa is best santa

[@laineymckenzie660]

Listen to this nonsense...

[@Detroitstarlight]

Jesus uses the door. Thieves break in through windows . Only witches , sorcerers and demons use the chimney !

[@caseyturner8773]

You're sounding like those goofy new republicans

[@invisiblesignals2477]

Sometimes I still wonder why my parents allowed Satan to lie to me about the Easter bunny Santa Claus and the tooth fairy

[@galatians2_20]

John 10v1-10 (nkjv/ esv); "Most assuredly, I say to you, HE WHO DOES NOT ENTER THE SHEEPFOLD BY THE DOOR. BUT CLIMBS UP SOME OTHER WAY, THE SAME AS A THIEF AND A ROBBER" (v10).. the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. Everyone has a curious conscience, so please READ the entire book of John, found in the New Testament. (21 chapters). Chapters 6-chapters 10 are FOOD for thought. (John6v63) Blessings 🕊.

[@DerekOfRivia]

@@caseyturner8773 What does that mean?

[@caseyturner8773]

@@DerekOfRivia its a pretty simple statement. Study it real hard...

[@theresawalker460]

All folk lore is invented by GOD haters and Jesus haters. Christmas is MASTER Jesus's birthday.

[@emisky7408]

What insane pagantry!ONLY JESUS IS THE LORD AND SAVIOR,THE MOST IMPORTANT SON OF GOD WHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU ALL, TO SAVE YOU FROM SATAN!JESUS IS THE LORD OF ALL LORDS!REPENT AND BELIEVE IN JESUS ONLY AND HIS GOSPEL OF JOHN 3,3,6,,!