There are some images that we all associate with the festive season. Some examples include turkey and a tree covered in Christmas lights. Perhaps the most iconic festive image of all though is Father Christmas in his red suit. However, he did not always dress in red.
Santa Claus vs. Father Christmas
In his earliest days, the big man was associated with a costume that was green in colour. The origins of that lie in a little-known difference between Santa Claus and Father Christmas. At this point, you must be thinking “what do you mean? They are the same character.” But you would be wrong.
Santa is believed to owe his origins to St Nicholas, who was a Bishop in the 3rd Century. The legend is that Nicholas went around giving presents to poor people, but that he was also excruciatingly shy. To deal that problem, he would drop the gifts down chimneys. Given that he was also said to wear robes of red, it is not hard to see how he became Santa Claus.
A pagan in green
Father Christmas has a completely different – and much earlier – origin story. There are tales of pre-Christian pagan festivals that featured a character known as Father Christmas. Although they were winter festivals, the character signified the arrival of spring.
For that reason, he wore a long-hooded cloak of green – representing nature coming back to life. All that happened is that the pagan Father Christmas was absorbed into the Christian Santa Claus – and this is how Father Christmas went from green to red.
