The World’s Most Famous Hellene
Most American Hellenes take pride when one of them attains a degree of celebrity status, no matter what the field of endeavor. Whether as a movie star, a businessman, or a politician, American Hellenes and Hellenic Americans celebrate their exceptionalism and remind those within earshot of their compatriots’ heritage. The phenomenon begs the question— “Who is the most famous Hellene in the world?”
Is it the actress, Jennifer Aniston, the banker and CEO of JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, the disgraced former Vice President of the United States, Spiro Agnew? No. The most famous Hellene is none other than — Santa Claus! Yes, Santa Claus.
That fat and happy, rosy-cheeked soul who flies in on his gravity-defying sleigh powered by a team of gravity-defying reindeer, shimmies down your chimney, and every year in the span of one night delivers those wonderful gifts to every deserving child in the world. How can there be anyone more famous than that? Perhaps a consequence of the American marketing industry, Santa Claus has emerged as a cartoonish, portly, white-bearded, red-coated joker who provides the retail sector with more than a third of its annual profits.
He’s adopted several aliases over the years, such as Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, and Saint Nick. Most people assume that Santa is derived from a mythical legend called Sinterklaas, which was brought over to America by the early Dutch settlers. Before he was imported to America, Sinterklaas had long been celebrated in places like the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. Sinterklaas is a Dutch transliteration of the name Saint Nicholas, who is also celebrated all over the rest of Europe as the same bearded, gift-giving old man who brightens up everyone’s winter.
But the character of Saint Nicholas, who emigrated to America so long ago, was a Greek bishop born in March 270 AD in Demre, Asia Minor. He eventually became the Greek Bishop of Myra, where a church was named after him. He was thought to have performed miracles and became known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secretly giving gifts to people until his death in December 343 AD.
Eventually, he was elevated to Sainthood in the Greek Orthodox Church. In fact, of the 500+ Greek Orthodox Churches in America, at least 58 are named after Saint Nicholas. Yes, the chubby Santa you know and love is an American manifestation of an old Greek priest who traveled around Asia Minor in the early days of Christianity and anonymously gave gifts to the people he ministered to. Considering all the joy Santa brings our children every year, I doubt any other Hellene will ever come close to his celebrity.
Happy Christmas, everyone!
