Santa Claus is undoubtedly a part of many people’s childhood. The image of the jolly man in a red suit, riding a reindeer around the world delivering gifts to well-behaved children – at least, that’s what we often hear.
But according to tradition, Santa enters homes through the chimney to deliver presents. The question is, why the chimney? There are so many other ways to enter a house, right?
In reality, the legends about Santa Claus – based on the figure of Saint Nicholas, date back hundreds of years, but the familiar image we know today only emerged in the 19th century, based on the story of author Washington Irving. In the book published in 1809, the author describes Saint Nicholas as a man who “rides reindeer over rooftops and treetops, pulls gifts from a magical bag, and drops them down the chimney for children.”
However, the idea of Santa either dropping gifts or coming down the chimney was not conceived by Irving. It actually originated in the early 15th century, when folklore still believed (and feared) that witches could pass through solid objects to enter the homes of ordinary people.
In 1486, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger – the most famous authors of witchcraft books – wrote that, to ease public anxiety, witches would come down the chimney instead of through windows. Since then, the chimney has become a symbol of European folklore, associated with supernatural phenomena. Over the centuries, it became widely accepted that mystical, magical beings would appear in your home through the chimney.
Similarly, it didn’t take long for Irving’s story to become popular. Today, the chimney has become a symbol associated with how Santa delivers gifts, even though very few families still use that type of fireplace anymore.
Source: Best Life