Kif dan il-bniedem nisrani u ta' qalb generuza, it-twajjeb Nikola sar ir-ragel liebes l-ahmar bl-ixkora tar-rigali fuq spalltu u simbolu tal-ferh u kummerc tal-Milied ?L-istorja ghandha dan xi tghidilna.
L-ewwel ewropej li waslu fid-dinja mhux maghrufa ( id-dinja l-gdida) garrew maghhom lil San Nikola. Il-Vikingi ddedikaw il-Katedral taghhom gewwa Greenland lil dan il-qaddis. Hekk ukoll ghamel Colombus li semma port gewwa Haiti ghal-San Nikola fis-6 ta' Dicembru, 1492. Gewwa Florida l-Ispanjoli semmew bicca art li fiha waqqfu l-ewwel djar taghhom St Nicholas Ferry, il-lum maghrufa bhala Jacksonville. Madanakollu l-Protestanti ma tantx harsu lejh b'mod sabih matul is-16 il-seklu. Ghalkemm ippruvaw iqacctu l-uzanzi marbuta mal-qaddis ma irnexxilhomx.
Ghaliex il-poplu kien ihobb hafna lil San Nikola, ix-xbiha tieghu fil-kontinent ta' l-Ewropa baqghet hajja hekk kif baqghu jharsu l-uzanzi marbuta mat-tifkira tieghu.
L-ewwel kolonjalisti maghmula primarjament mill-Puritani u Protestanti ma hadux maghhom it-tradizzjonijiet ta' San Nikola. Imma dawk Olandizi u Germanizi kienu jharsu l-festa tal-qaddis. Il-qaddis kompla jsahhah postu fid-dinja l-gdida meta fis-sena 1773 il-patriotti waqqfu l-assocjazzjoni ta' "Ulied San Nikola" primarjament bhala ghaqda mhux brittannika, biex jikkompetu socjetajiet ohra inglizi ta' San Gorg u mhux bhala unur lil San Nikola.
Wara r-rivoluzzjoni amerikana, in-"New York Historical Society" hasbet biex terga' taghti l-hajja lit-tradizzjonijiet ta' San Nikola kif kienu originarjament ghax kienu kwazi ntnesew. Is-socjeta' zammet ikla ta' l-ewwel anniversarju ta' San Nikola fis-6 ta' Dicembru 1810. John Pintard wiehed mill-patriotti ta' San Nikola talab lil artist Alexander Anderson biex johloq l-ewwel figura amerikana ta' San Nikola ghal okazzjoni. L-artist urieh bhala l-bniedem li qed iqassam ir-rigali lit tfal u jqeghdhomlhom fil-kalzetti hdejn ic-cumnija. U poezija ohra kienet tispicca hekk:
, "Saint Nicholas, my dear good friend!
To serve you ever was my end,
If you will, now, me something give,
I'll serve you ever while I live."
Il-figura tieghu hadet spinta ‘l quddiem meta inkitbet poezija fis-sena 1823 destinata li tibqa' wahda popolari, " A visit from St Nicholas" maghrufa issa bhala "The Night Before Christmas."
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf. . . .
Din il-poezija kellha influwenza kbira aktar ‘l quddiem meta l-figura ta' San Nikola giet amerikanizata. L-isem tal-qaddis sar maghruf bhala Santa Clawss alterazzjoni naturali fonetika ta' l-isem germaniz Sankt Niklaus.
Hafna artisti uzaw il-figura tieghu fi stili differenti, kuluri, u daqs biex il-figura tieghu evolviet u saret dak li hi l-lum.
Dan Santa issa deher bhala r-ragel liebes l-ahmar. Kien jidher fil-magazines u kien reklamat bhal l-bniedem li jinkoraggixxi lil Amerikani biex iqisu il-coke bhala s-soluzzjoni biex taqta' l-ghatx. Sas-sena 1950 Santa sar l-attrazzjoni principali biex jirreklama bosta prodotti.
U hekk mill-Amerka Santa gie esportat bhala l-figura li taghmel pubblicita' ...... u ghalkemm kien hemm theddida bejn il-figura pubblicitarja u dik tal-qaddis, in-nies ta' l-Ewropa baqghu jzommuha bhala l-isqof u qaddis taghhom.
Kien vjagg twil ghal San Nikola biex mir-4 seklu bhala l-bniedem t'Alla li wera hniena straordinarja lejn il-fqir u l-batut sar il-ferriehi Santa Klaws ta' l-Amerka.
Gewwa l-Amerka hemm interess biex il-din il-figura jergghu jaghtuha d-dehra originali halli ic-centru tal-Milied ikun Kristu. Ghaliex tassew San Nikola il-mahbub mill-fqar u t-tfal hu mudell ta' kif in-nisrani ghandu jghix. Bhala isqof, Nikola qieghed lil Kristu centru ta' hajtu, tal-ministeru tieghu u ta' l-ezistenza kollha tieghu. Familji, knejjes u skejjel qed jaccettaw il-veri tradizzjonijiet ta' San Nikola biex juru c- centru tal-Milied - it-twelid ta' Gesu'. Haga bhal din tghin bis-shih biex ikun hemm bilanc fil-festi tal-Milied mimlija materjalizmu u konsumerizmu.
