Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Noel Baba... whatever you call the beloved symbol of Christmas, you probably imagine him living in the North Pole, surrounded by elves and reindeer. But the real St. Nicholas lived in a warm, sunny town on the Mediterranean Sea, in what is now Turkey.

St. Nicholas, born in 245 AD in Patara near Fethiye died in 363 AD., having spent his life in Anatolia. He lived during the 4th century in Lycia, a province in the south-west of Asia Minor. When he was young, his father died and left Nicholas a great fortune. Instead of spending it on himself, Nicholas started anonymously giving the money to the needy, especially children. He traveled to Egypt and Palestine as a young man.

Nicholas eventually became the Bishop of Myra ( modern day Demre in Turkey ). As the Bishop of Demre, by his religious and social work, he solved the problems of the people in a humane way. Because of the assistance he rendered to those around him, St. Nicholas was known as the protector of children and sailors, and to this day the legend of Father Christmas continues to live as vividly as ever.

After he died he was buried in Demre and a church was built there in his memory. Devotion to him spread throughout the Christian world, and he was chosen to be patron saint of Russia and Greece. Thousands of churches throughout Europe have been named for him. In 1087 Italian pirates stole some of bones and took them to Bari which became a crowded pilgrimage center in his honor. In their haste they left a few behind and these are today on display in the Antalya Museum.

He was credited with many miracles including saving sailors from drowning and resurrecting three boys who had been killed by an evil butcher. In one story he saved three officers from death by appearing to Constantine in a dream. In another legend he provided bags of gold to a poor man as dowries for his three daughters. Today, St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, sailors, teachers, students and merchants. In a number of countries the death of St. Nicholas on 6 December is commemorated by special ceremonies and by giving presents to children, and in fact it takes on the significance of a new year.

It was in the years 1951-55 that it was realized that St. Nicholas was Santa Claus ( or Father Christmas ) and this drew a lot of attention to Turkey, with articles in the papers and items on the radio, and in 1955 a Father Christmas stamp was issued. After that date celebrations for Father Christmas started to be held regularly. The first Father Christmas symposium ever was held in Antalya between 5-7 December 1983. This is now held annually and is attended by religious and scientific people from all over the world. At these symposia, and in keeping with Anatolias St. Nicholas' love of humanity, a call is made to people of different religions and beliefs for peace, friendship and brotherhood.