St. Nicholas Cross
Since we expect this web page will be viewed more around the Christmas period, we've made it a bit lighter than the other cross pages. However, if you are interested in learning more about Saint Nicholas, a good source is www.stnicholascenter.org. See also the Christmas Natal Cross.
St. Nicholas Cross
also known as St. Olga's Cross
St. Nicholas Cross
Like most saints there is no single specific cross associated with St. Nicholas, and in his case, we hear more of Santa Claus than Saint Nicholas himself or his cross.
Even so, he is one of the most popular saints, especially for Eastern Catholics and the Orthodox. Due to his charity and concern for the welfare of children, the Archbishop Nicholas (280-342 A.D.) of the Mediterranean port of Myra (Turkey) became Saint Nicholas and is the patron of children and travellers. This eastern background is the reason the St. Nicholas cross is usually an Eastern Orthodox Cross superimposed on a Budded Cross and often embellished with the acronym IC XC NIKA1.
Since we expect this web page will be viewed more around the Christmas period, we've made it a bit lighter than the other cross pages. However, if you are interested in learning more about Saint Nicholas, a good source is www.stnicholascenter.org. See also the Christmas Natal Cross.
Santa Claus
When we are young children, we are told about the existence of Santa. Later, when we're about seven years old (or maybe seventeen!) we find out that he's really just a fictional character. And then we learn that, OK, he doesn't exist now, but he used to. Childhood can be very confusing!
Even though St. Nicholas is our inspiration for creating Santa Claus, the St. Nicholas Cross is not known as Santa's Cross. The closest we might find to a Santa Cross is in a story that is as mythical as Santa himself.
Way over in Japan, even though the predominant religion is Buddhism, Christmas is celebrated with as much, if not more, glitz than you see in Western shopping malls. They have Christmas trees, ridiculous numbers of twinkling lights covering people's homes, and piped carol music in just about every pedestrian walkway. They do, however, lack traditional door-to-door carol singing, Christmas cards and school Nativity plays. This is because, according to a Gallup poll in 2006, only around six percent of Japanese profess to be Christian and consequently most Japanese generally have little interest in learning too much about the meaning of Christmas.
Santa's Cross
Santa is very cross!
It comes as no surprise therefore, that when the manager of a famous department store in Tokyo's fashionable Ginza district instructed his staff to decorate the window in a 'Christian' Christmas style, the window dressers didn't have a clue what to do. Because of the confusion between the 'l' and 'r' sounds in Japanese, Santa Claus is pronounced Santa Craus, and somebody said Craus really means Cross. Since the cross is a Christian symbol, the window dressers incorporated a cross with the Santa decoration; they put a mannequin in a Santa suit and hung it on a cross.
Ah! Here it is:
Q: What do you get if you cross Father Christmas with Sherlock Holmes?
A: Santa Clues
We have no proof this actually happened; it's just one of those many 'urban legends'. Many people believe that Jesus' crucifixion is also an urban legend, but the two stories do have some things in common. First, Santa's crucifixion was done in full view of the public. So was Jesus'. The crucifixion of Jesus has symbolism - that our sins have been washed away by His sacrifice. Santa's crucifixion also has symbolism - that Jesus has been washed away by Santa.
Then there are those who believe that Santa is an anagram for Satan. You know... breaking into houses late at night, dodgy preference for small children, wearing long kinky boots, and psychotic reindeer with militaristic nicknames. Nicholas = 'Old Nick'; at home in the flaming fireplace. And Santa's little helpers - those elves? They must be fallen angels in green tights and Spock-ears. Elves. Evil. Devil. See the connection?
Christmas 2005
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Japan
Well, we agree that the Devil is a master of disguise, but come on... Why the devil should he appear as a paunchy geriatric troll with a raucous laugh. Hardly blends in with the crowd, now does he?
We believe there is no link between Santa (who doesn't exist), and Satan (who does). So we'll leave that connection theory with the pile of pine needles and head off for Christmas dinner.
Finger lickin' good
Looks like this snowman is giving the shop girl the cold shoulder.
(If you find this mannequin a little too scary, maybe you're suffering from claustrophobia!)
No, chicken is not the traditional Christmas Dinner in Japan but that doesn't stop Kentucky Fried Chicken from cashing in on the theme. At KFC the Colonel is shown in his Santa costume, which helps educate school children that Santa loves children, Santa loves KFC, and Santa is American.
We've seen him at Tokyo Disneyland, so he must be American.
Not all Japanese Santas are like the one shown on the right. Here, in a Tokyo Disney store, we find a Santa who is a skeletal snowman (from the Disney 1993 movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas" - A ghoulish tale with wicked humour and stunning animation where Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept.)
Oh! And by the way... Why couldn't the skeleton go to the Christmas Party?
Because he had no body to go with!
On the left, we see the shopping street mascot Doromi, pointing the way to the My Lord department store in Shinjuku. Doromi symbolizes cuteness and fashion, keeping up to date with the times - hence the Santa dress at Christmas time. (The name 'Doromi' comes from a backwards spelling of the katakana for 'My Lord')
Chapel Christmas Love Hotel, Japan with a rather large candle in the car park.
A candidate for the ultimate Christian profanity in Japan is perhaps the so-called 'love hotel' named Chapel Christmas. Rooms can be rented in tacky places like these by the hour, for a quick passionate encounter. No malice intended by the operators of course; they don't care whether the customer's pleasure is carnal or spiritual. They are just capitalising on Christmas as other businesses do.
And finally the famous and perky Peko-chan. Even though her company was disgraced somewhat by dubious business practices revealed by over-zealous press in January 2007, Peko-chan still steals our hearts (to the extent that some people even kidnap her!)
Candles: Which burns longer; a green candle or a red candle? Neither. They both burn shorter!
What's the best thing to put into a Christmas cake? Your teeth.
What sort of ball doesn't bounce? A snowball.
How do snowmen travel around? By icicle.
And here's our favourite Christmas joke.
1: Greek abbreviations, common among Eastern Christians, where:
Ic are iota (Ι) and sigma (ς), the first and last letters of Jesus (Ιησους),
Xc are chi (Χ) and sigma (ς), the first and last letters of Christ (Χριστος),
and Nika (Νικα) means to be victorious or to conquer.
The interpretation is that Jesus Christ was victorious over death (Romans 6:4) and through Him we can all conquer death Colossians 2:12
See also ICXC Cross and the St. Nicholas Anchor Cross
