We all know him, the man in the red coat and the sack on his back. There are so many stories surrounding him and actually he should holy St. Nicholas wear a light coat and a miter. Our Santa Claus has been wearing a red coat with white fur for over 100 years! Do you also know why? And who reinvented this character? A landau! And because one of our company headquarters is in Landau, we are of course a little proud of it.
None other than US President Abraham Lincoln asked the emigrant Landauer Thomas Nast to draw a special Christmas picture to cheer the then-tormented nation. Thomas Nast talked to his sister Bertha, who remembered his childhood in Landau, and she gave him the idea of drawing a combination of both - Thomas Nast worked all night and presented his drawing for the Harper's Weekly newspaper the next morning “.
Santa Claus, who comes on St. Nicholas Day, was born. He distributes gifts to the soldiers - no one knows exactly why the magazine was published on January 3, 1863 - but it was basically the birth of Santa Claus in the red coat. Thomas Nast was just 23 years old at the time and it was also the start of a great career - read more here.
There are an incredible number of stories about St. Nicholas, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. He was secularized in the middle of the 19th century - that's when he lost his crosier and miter. Clement Clarke Moore described him in 1822 as a short, plump elf with glittering eyes and rosy cheeks. By Heinrich Hoffmann he appeared in the children's book Struwelpeter as a slim, serious-looking Santa Claus and then Thomas Nast gave him his new appearance, which still exists today.
The city of Landau has its own St. Nicholas market named after Thomas Nast, who this year from November 24.11th. takes place until December 21.12.2023st, XNUMX and offers many handcrafted treasures for sale. The people of Landau are looking forward to your visit.
It's great that these stories still exist today. It's nice that you and we can celebrate St. Nicholas Day today. We hope your plates and boots were full and you can enjoy the sweets during Advent. This year, as in previous years, we have given our gifts in the form of Donations to local youth and sports clubs because these voluntary institutions do a lot of important work in the area of integration and health promotion at the local level.
We take St. Nicholas Day as an opportunity to thank you for the good cooperation and look forward to the continuation next year. Enjoy Advent and Christmas with your family and friends and maybe you can take a short break between the years. Have a good start to the new year!
