Joulupukki, in Finland. Joulu = Christmas, pukki = male goat.
The Christmas GOAT
Weihnachtsmann, Germany
Or Nikolaus. Although Weihnachtsmann and Nikolaus are two different entities and we usually translate Santa to Weihnachtsmann. But Santa Claus is just the colloquial name of Saint Nikolaus.
We celebrate Nikolaus on December 6th. He puts sweets and stuff into children's shoes. He's based on a real bishop who lived in what is now Turkey and was known for feeding poor children.
And to complicate things further there's the Christkind, the Christ Child, who brings presents on the 24th. It is not Jesus but an angel, usually portrayed by a pretty blonde girl. Sometimes some of its golden hair gets stuck in the Christmas tree or somewhere nearby. That's how the children know that it was really there, delivering presents.
Denmark - Julemanden. The yule man.
Julenissen in Norway, so the yule gnome more or less. Not to be confused with låvenissen, who lives all year in the granary of the farm and is given porridge for Christmas. Some people, especially those living on farms, are visited by låvenissen instead of julenissen on the 24th.
Låvenissen is a trickster, and when things are missing around the farm it's probably his fault. But unlike the people living under ground (de underjordiske) he's not a scary fellow, and he deserves a little treat for Christmas like everyone else.
I get that it's completely unrelated etymogically, but I like how close manden is to mandem. It's the Yule mandem. Santa is, in fact, about a dozen London lads
It's actually completely related etymologically. Mandem = Man + Dem (Them). Manden = Man + Den (The). Both use the same Germanic words from two very similar Germanic languages. Mandem would just be plural Manden.
Oh, huh, good point
I'm learning danish as a native English speaker and damn near every danish word is related to a bunch of English words etymologically, even more than when I was learning french.
Christkind, Christ-child (or child christ) in southern Germany
I think we do that in the more northern parts of Germany as well... And some other countries in Central Europe.
As of own experience in northern parts (like Niedersachsen) it's only the Weihnachtsmann. The Christkind is more or less unknown.
Ah, I thought it was a southern thing. Thanks for telling me!
According to Wikipedia, Luther and the Protestants did this. And then it got adopted by Catholics as well. Idk, have to ask my friends in the real north of Germany what they do. (Edit: Apparently they don't have it. So it'd be more the west and south.) At least here in the a bit more Catholic(?) Ruhrgebiet and Rheinland it's the Christkind as well. And I know our neighbours to the west (the Dutch) have Sinterklaas on 6th of December. They're done with all the presents by then and have some extra time to come visit our Christmas markets 🎄
We don't use it in northern Germany, but I know it from my relatives in Ruhrgebiet/Rheinland.
Père Noël.
Daddy santa lol
Kalėdų senelis, or senelis šaltis in lithuania :3
Άγιος Βασίλης/Saint Vasilis, Greece
Im not in europe but in my country apparently santa is now a jack booted thug.
Yeah, and bonus question, does he bring presents? Because I do have St Nicholas, he got me some chocolate. And I'm aware of Santa... but it's kind of the Christkind who is the gift-bringer...
Father Christmas in the UK. St. Nick if you're fancy or poetic about it
There's some variance here. I'm from the Partium and Protestants tend to use the more secular Télapó (Father Winter), Catholics the Jézuska (Baby Jesus), while my relatives from Transylvania proper call it "the angel" (e.g. Mit hozott az angyal?)
Many Spanish speaking countries call him Papá Noel. We call him Santa Clós in Mexico.
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