Pagan Reflections of Santa; Race, Myths, Beliefs, and Importance

Controversy hit the airwaves this month when Fox News correspondent Megyn Kelly referred to Santa as being white. She was responding to an article on Slate magazine, by columnist Aisha Harris, about the complications of having a white Santa in a multicultural society, and suggested he should instead be no race, like a penguin. Kelly responded to this by having an on air discussion about the “Attack on Christmas”, and her views of the “facts” that Santa is indeed a white man.

“For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white. But this person is maybe just arguing that we should also have a black Santa. But, you know, Santa is what he is, and just so you know, we’re just debating this because someone wrote about it, kids.”

Not only did this incident cause a stir in mainstream media, it also appears to have created some colorful conversations within social media. Some of those conversations have filtered onto Pagan blogs, articles and Facebook threads, striking up conversations about who Santa is and who he is not. Is Santa really a depiction of Odin? Or is Santa a folkloric icon that has been commercialized in American culture? Are the roots of Santa Claus coming from the stories of good old Saint Nicholas, or is he a generated figment of our cultural imagination?

The responses have been vast, and opinions vary based on many factors, including a person’s belief of whether or not Santa is totally made up, or that he is a part of the historical mythology of the Norse. One of the biggest questions might be whether it matters at all. Is the issue arising from Santa’s potential race about preserving folklore, opening up holiday lore to be inclusive of Black and brown people, or trying to be too politically correct in our multicultural society? Questions with many different answers.

While there are a myriad of different thoughts on the place of Santa Claus in the lives of children, especially within Pagan homes, there is something to be said for how powerful messages of overculture can be in defining our belief systems. Consistent images of the white faced, bearded man in red, often connects to childhood memories, feelings of family, and emotions associated with this time of year. While associations of this time of year are not joyful for everyone, there is power in the image of Santa. Jason Mankey, writer of the Raise the Horns blog on Patheos Pagan Channel, wrote about this magic in his piece on the history and origins of Santa Claus, “It’s a magical memory, the exact type of thing that the image and myth of Santa Claus should conjure up. Santa Claus has power and an energy all his own. To say that Santa “isn’t real” completely misses the point. Few myths are as universal in the Western World as that of Midwinter gift-bringer, and it’s a myth that speaks to the best of who we can be as people. Santa is the spirit of giving and child-like wonder, two impulses that are often in short supply”.

As I see it there are a plethora of issues in potentially conflicting matters like this, individual and familial culture, religious beliefs, mainstream culture, appropriation of ancestral mythology, and the implications on overall current racial tension. The intersectionality of these various issues can create a lot of challenging perspectives.

All of the aforementioned areas add to the Pagan community’s ability to question our collective identity within the overculture of Americanized holidays and values. How do the Americanized holidays affect the practices and beliefs of those who walk a Pagan path?

Upon watching the Megyn Kelly segment on Fox News, I personally struggled with two different, and sometimes conflicting, elements of my personal identity; valuing the mythology that intersects with Pagan beliefs, and the need to challenge the often harsh reality of exclusions within our American stories.

So what do Pagans think about this Santa, Norse, fictionalized conflict, and is it important? Does it matter more to some subsets of Pagans over others? I asked a couple of Pagans some questions on these exact things.

Jonathan Korman

Santa has a great bushy beard and a sled drawn by reindeer and a magic bag of wonders; that such a figure would not have some kind of connection to Norse myth seems … implausible.

But there is no tidy answer to such questions.

Is Hermes “really” a figure from Egyptian mythology because Hermes is “really” Thoth?

The gods and spirits and so forth are refracted through a cultural lens, and they do not break crisply from one another. The Hermes of my practice both is and is not the same entity as the Hermes an ancient Greek would have encountered. The Santa Claus I encounter both is and is not the same as the Santa encountered by a Christian Minnesota six-year-old in 1890. – Jonathan Korman

Melanie Moore

I suppose American Santa has roots in Odin but most of them are completely twisted and watered down. I don’t desire to use him in my family’s traditions.

In fact, I decided even before I had children that I would not do Santa. I feel badly for parents who get roped into buying their child’s secret expensive gift in the name of Santa. And the “naughty” manipulation. If Santa doesn’t bring your expensive gift – is it because you’ve been naughty? – Melanie Moore – midwife, dancer

Lupa

The Santa Claus we think of here in the U.S. may resemble his pagan forebears, but at this point he’s become his own icon. I think it’s important to allow there to be a modern mythology, especially in a culture that often feels it doesn’t have one. This is especially important for Santa Claus since the prevailing theme is “Believe he’s real as a child until someone tells you otherwise, and then he’s just a marketing strategy”. I think looking at Santa as his own mythical being and taking him a little more seriously can reintroduce some of the wonder and magic of the Christmas season at a time when the holiday has become heavily commercialized. That doesn’t mean that every American has to become pagan, of course! But just as we have the mythos of the Rugged Individualist here, I think we could also use a more solid buildup of Santa mythos as it pertains to American culture–generosity, good humor, and a healthy dose of wonder and little-m-magic.

I don’t think it impacts us more than it impacts anyone else. We all are affected by the craziness of the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas (and, more and more, we’re seeing Christmas decorations for sale in mid-October!) I do see the desire to “reclaim” a more pagan Santa to be something of a backlash both against that commercialization and Christianity on the part of some pagans, though there are also just those who are curious about his roots. But I don’t think that images of the jolly old man in red and white affect pagans specifically either way.

I grew up with a fairly typical roster of Christmas celebrations–the tree and ornaments, presents, carols, etc. It’s something that’s invested with a lot of fond memories and good feelings, and it’s something I carry on even today. Santa is a part of that, though I suppose if I had children he’d be even more present.

I do recognize that for the most part Santa is depicted as a white guy. However, I personally feel that he can show up as any race–there are old men with white hair (and sometimes beards) all over the world. I think the problem is more that “white” is the default race for depicting all sorts of individuals (look at the situation with Jesus, for example). And yes, the original St. Nick wasn’t white. However, I feel Santa Claus, through means good or ill, has again become his own being, and I feel that because of his popular appeal among Americans of many different races, he should be depicted with more diversity himself. By this I mean being depicted as being of all races in turn, not just one. (And not just a case of “when he’s going to a white family’s house he’s white, when he goes to a black family’s house, he’s black, etc.) He could potentially be a mythological figure who can be for everyone, and carry that holiday spirit of “peace and love for all your neighbors”. – Lupa, author

Jason Mankey

Santa Claus is an American phenomenon, this is where he got his name, his modern look, and his red suit. Without America there is no Santa. Of course Santa Claus has roots in other cultures and other things. The Christian tradition and mythos of Saint Nicholas is a building block, and I think Norse/Germanic mythology is another building block.

I know that there are a lot of Pagans who resist celebrating Christmas because they think of it as a “Christian” holiday. Santa being such a visible figure can make that difficult, so that’s way he impacts Modern Paganism. I’m a firm believer in Christmas as a mostly secular Midwinter celebration with pagan and Christian influences. As such, it’s something I enjoy celebrating and I like seeing Santa involved in it. When it comes to inescapable modern icons, Santa with his message of giving, isn’t a bad one to have plastered everywhere for two months out of the year. Now if we could just popularize Befana and Krampus – Jason Mankey, author

While I feel that Kelly’s comments on her television segment were culturally insensitive, biased and racially provoking, there is room to question how mythology, present culture, political factors, and cultural capital all play into the individual and collective needs of the Pagan community. For those who are people of color, there are a multitude of layers to unpack around the continuous stream of American folklore, mythology, holidays, and bringers of hope that are always white faced heroes. This lack of multiculturalism trickles down into the many subsets of our general society and directly impacts perceptions of the status quo.

With that in mind, I specifically wanted to ask Pagans whether they thought the race of Santa had any impact on community.

LaSara Firefox Allen

I believe that Santa as a true entity is beyond race, or religion. Or even gender. But just as “God” (capital G – as in, the Christian God) is presented as a white man in most cases, as a Mystic I believe that the heart of god is inconceivable. I believe that Santa shows up in pop culture mythology as an old white guy because that is what power shows up as in the dominant culture. But I have known since i was young that Santa is an entity that shifts Its presentation. This is why I can still be such a solid believer. If we claim Santa, Santa become a mirror of our own divinity, and we a mirror of It’s. – Lasara Firefox, author

Connie Jones-Stewart

I believe that the Santa Clause of today is a totally fictionalized and secularized character that has developed over time. He may have some elements of Odin, La Befana, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas and others but he is none of those people. I don’t believe that Santa impacts Pagan or Christian culture. He is part of secular Xmas and secular culture. I see Santa as the spirit of giving that comes with the holiday season. He has no race nor religion. – Connie Jones-Steward, Interfaith Minister

Shauna Aura Knight

As a kid raised in an almost all-white school system, in an almost all-white town, seeing images of a non-white Santa might have made me do a double-take. Then again, seeing a non-white Barbie doll would have made me do a double-take. However, I also would have just shrugged and thought, why not. For me, the modern image of “Santa” is something that’s, how to put it…he’s an archetype that should be a mirror, a gift to the community. I grew up with a Santa that looks like me and I’ve always taken that for granted. I grew up with Barbie dolls and toys that look like me. But I also know that Santa comes from an older tradition. Ultimately, one of the sources of what we now call “Santa” may have come from Asian/Siberian shamans bringing mushrooms to their tribe. The modern image of Santa was really branded and solidified by Coca Cola, if memory serves. For me, it’s not important what color Santa is, Santa’s a secular concept that belongs to our culture, and I don’t think it takes away anything to have a Santa that is Black, or Asian, or any race or color. Because, kids should get to grow up with a Santa that looks like them.

Deities and spirits change over time, and based on location. They change to become culturally relevant. I think the modern concept of Santa doesn’t need to be limited to being white; I think a multi-racial Santa is more culturally relevant. Deities and spirits and archetypes change over time, they always have. It’s what makes them live and breathe.- Shauna Aura Knight, author

Jonathan Korman

What with the sleigh and the reindeer and the furs and the elves and the home as far north as north goes, one might presume that Santa Claus is Norwegian or Finnish. But then Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Smyrna, was presumptively Greek in what is now Turkey; that guy doesn’t sound so … pale. But that misses the esoteric truth of Santa which we only reveal to children when they are ready to hear it, that Santa manifests in our performance of him, be it putting on the costume or delivering gifts under the tree; in that Santa is and must be anyone and everyone.

This lesson, that Santa is a role which anyone may inhabit, is contained in my favorite Santa Claus story, the Twilight Zone episode “Night of the Meek”, in which a department store Santa discovers a magical, inexhaustible bag of gifts and begins distributing them to the poor. Only at the end, at the prompting of a friend, does it occur to him to ask for something for himself — and all he can think to ask for is to be able to do it every year. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_of_the_Meek) – Jonathan Korman

Porsha Williams

I feel that the Pagan community would be more wide open to any/many different representations of Santa Claus compared to greater society. As pagans (and to use a term I’ve seen used recently within posts on the Kemetic Tumblr-verse)–“unique personal gnosis” is considered valid, in reference to our experiences with ritual and study of our gods. What feels right, is held in higher regard to our community than greater society. It is respected, vs. ridiculed and discredited because it’s not the norm.

It’s common knowledge that greater society does not accept what’s different without some sort of pushback. In the case of Santa being white or black, I feel that unfortunately it still matters greatly whether he’s portrayed as black or white. Unfortunately, the old guard of baby boomers through Generation X were raised with those “racial boundaries” still firmly intact. As younger generations like Generation Y and the Millennials came up–the time of Jim Crow and it’s customs were more textbook lesson than recent memory. These generations are coming of age with little-to-no boundaries due to social media, shared interest in each other’s differences (vs. aversion) and a lack of fear of any repercussions of racial mixing. While these factors would make a “black Santa” less of an issue for them, the old guard will stick to their learned behavior as they get closer to the end of their life cycle. It’s what’s comfortable and what’s known–sadly yet respectfully, I believe greater society will continue to be impacted in that manner until newer generations come of age. Though the Pagan community does have those few sects of worship who remain firm in their belief that racial segregation is necessary in their chosen path, they are few in comparison to our community as a whole. – Porsha A. Williams, writer of The First Dark

With such a wide variety of associations with the figure and importance of something like Santa Claus, who is to say what he is, who he is, and how important he should be? As we have seen here, the is such a variety of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about this historically significant figure that is is not as clear, as black and white, as some people would like to believe.

The lines between myth and truth, culture and interpretation, race and identity, religion and belief, magic and practice has not always been as transparent from one person to the next. There are a lot of shades of grey within any black and white, Pagan or Christian scenario.  And regardless of the beliefs of origin or importance, we have to admit that Santa is one powerful source of magic to captivate so many people across time. And in my opinion, power has no color or race.

Several recent links on Santa myth and history:

• http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/p/Santa_Claus.htm
• http://www.patheos.com/blogs/panmankey/2013/12/the-history-and-origins-of-santa-claus/
• http://miniver.blogspot.com/2013/12/yes-virginia.html

For full statement from Shauna Aura Knight, Jonathan Korman, and Jason Mankey, please click the following link.

Author’s note: A special thanks for the heartfelt, interesting quotes from those who had a moment to respond.

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