( , ) is the

Christmas gift-bringer A number of Midwinter or Christmas traditions in European folklore involve gift-bringers. Mostly involving the figure of a bearded old man, the traditions have mutually influenced one another, and have adopted aspects from Christian hagiography, ...

in modern Danish culture, the equivalent of

Father Christmas Father Christmas is the traditional English name for the personification of Christmas. Although now known as a Christmas gift-bringer, and typically considered to be synonymous with Santa Claus, he was originally part of a much older and unrela ...

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

. can be directly translated as "The Yule Man" or "The Christmas Man". is often illustrated as a short, bearded man dressed in gray clothes and a red hat. He is said to bring presents on Christmas Eve (December 24), coming to houses either by foot or by sleigh, and often wears fur to keep him warm.

History

The roots of reach into

Danish folklore Danish folklore consists of folk tales, legends, songs, music, dancing, popular beliefs, myths and traditions communicated by the inhabitants of towns and villages across the country, often passed on from generation to generation by word of mo ...

and

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

. However, the character is a relatively new phenomenon in Denmark, appearing some time after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(1939–1945). Until then, there was , or – a character with some resemblance to the modern . This tradition can be traced back centuries, when people believed in (

elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...

leprechaun A leprechaun () is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. In later times, they have bee ...

s, spirits or mystical entities rarely or never seen directly). Local folklore dictated the expected actions of the , which could be moody creatures resulting in all kinds of fortunes or even disasters. The role of the was to bring good fortune to the family and to achieve this, he would have to be treated well especially around (

Yule Yule is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples. In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern ...

, in December). This was achieved by feeding him, traditionally with some form of porridge (now rice porridge). Traditionally, the porridge was to be placed in the household attic as this was said to be the place where the supposedly lived and if the was satisfied with the meal he would bring good fortune to the household in the coming year. The is still, however, "celebrated" and he acts as a stand-in for in early December, to entertain the childish mind, bring small gifts and sometimes plays tricks on the household, kindergarten etc. where such "creatures" can prosper.

In popular culture

The gift-giving that became seems to have drawn influences from the American Santa, when American culture began making an impact in Denmark, but rather than outright copying him, local traditions were tweaked, eventually resulting in a Father Christmas-type character with only traces of the original and in some respects indistinguishable from Santa. In an attempt to attract more than 800,000 tourists, the Tivoli theme park in Copenhagen replaced their display to that of its Russian counterpart, Father Frost, in 2011.

Postal address

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

a special postal address is used by

Post Danmark Post Danmark A/S, trading as PostNord Denmark (), is the national provider of postal services in Denmark. It was established as a fully state-owned stock holder's company in 1995 following political liberalization efforts. Post Danmark had t ...

for children who want to write to : : : : translates as 'Reindeer Way', while the PO Box number 2412 is a reference to 24 December.Post Danmark lover svar fra julemanden
Fyns Amts Avis, 26 November 2009

References

External links

Santa, our Arctic colleagueDanish Christmas by the Fireside
{{Christmas Christmas in Denmark Christmas characters Culture of Denmark Danish folklore Santa Claus Christmas gift-bringers Yule