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Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

Breelander
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Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272169

Postby Breelander » December 18th, 2019, 10:18 pm

It's not for the reason you may think. Apparently Coca Cola didn't invent the red and white Santa as the popular myth has it, but they did invent Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It was a rival drink, White Rock that invented the red and white clothed Santa.

That, and many other commercial Christmas facts here, from BBC Sounds.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3csz2x9

tjh290633
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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272178

Postby tjh290633 » December 18th, 2019, 10:53 pm

There was a brief comment on Bargain Hunt today, when they showed the very first Christmas card. Apparently originally Father Christmas wore Green, but St Nicholas, aka Santa Claus, wore red & white, and that became more popular.

TJH

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272180

Postby mc2fool » December 18th, 2019, 11:01 pm

Breelander wrote:...but they did invent Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Uh? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272182

Postby mc2fool » December 18th, 2019, 11:11 pm

Breelander wrote:It was a rival drink, White Rock that invented the red and white clothed Santa.

According to Wikipedia Puck magazine beat White Rock by at least 13 years.

"Historically, Coca-Cola was not the first soft drink company to utilize the modern image of Santa Claus in its advertising—White Rock Beverages had already used a red and white Santa to sell mineral water in 1915 and then in advertisements for its ginger ale in 1923. Earlier still, Santa Claus had appeared dressed in red and white and essentially in his current form on several covers of Puck magazine in the first few years of the 20th century."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Santa1902PuckCover.jpg

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272187

Postby mc2fool » December 18th, 2019, 11:33 pm

Digging into the Talk page of the Wikipedia Santa Claus article finds this 1868 red and white Santa, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Santa-Sugar_Plums_1868.jpg

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272223

Postby bungeejumper » December 19th, 2019, 9:25 am

mc2fool wrote:Digging into the Talk page of the Wikipedia Santa Claus article finds this 1868 red and white Santa, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Santa-Sugar_Plums_1868.jpg

Indeed. Plenty of red santas around in the mid 19th century. Even the Coca Cola website agrees on that point. https://www.coca-cola.co.uk/faq/is-it-t ... -coca-cola . Although he wasn't always fat and jolly. Don't know about the white trimmings, but I suppose those would have been intended to suggest snow rather than soft drinks? ;)

BJ

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272257

Postby wydffa » December 19th, 2019, 11:14 am

There is an American anthropologist who suggests it represents Fly Agaric, which grows around Christmas trees (and others) and which reindeer are apparently fond of. Easily googled if you want to read more.

Breelander
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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272276

Postby Breelander » December 19th, 2019, 11:59 am

Maybe it should be green then....

There are many stories and legends about pagan winter festivals which include a 'Father Christmas' type figure ... It's likely he represented the coming of spring and wore a long green hooded cloak and a wreath of holly, ivy or mistletoe and had the ability to make people happier during the long winter months...


...or blue.

When the Vikings invaded Britain, their traditions came with them. At the end of December the Norse God Odin took on the character of Jul. He visited earth and sporting a white beard and wearing a long blue hooded cloak rode through the world on his eight legged horse giving gifts to the good and punishments to the bad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/york/hi/peo ... 394067.stm

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272279

Postby bungeejumper » December 19th, 2019, 12:01 pm

wydffa wrote:There is an American anthropologist who suggests it represents Fly Agaric, which grows around Christmas trees (and others) and which reindeer are apparently fond of.

Makes you horny, doesn't it?

BJ

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272286

Postby AleisterCrowley » December 19th, 2019, 12:15 pm

Makes you think you can fly, I think. Or is that psilocybin?

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272358

Postby Breelander » December 19th, 2019, 4:15 pm

AleisterCrowley wrote:Makes you think you can fly, I think. Or is that psilocybin?


Both, apparently. But I think it's best not to try...

Fly agaric is psychoactive and hallucinogenic. ....cause psychotropic poisoning which may be severe in some cases although deaths are very rare.
http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:l ... mes:161267

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272542

Postby stewamax » December 20th, 2019, 11:55 am

bungeejumper wrote:Makes you horny, doesn't it?

Er no - you are confusing it with Spanish Fly (aka Cantharidin) which is ground-up beetles.

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Re: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?

#272551

Postby bungeejumper » December 20th, 2019, 12:40 pm

stewamax wrote:
bungeejumper wrote:Makes you horny, doesn't it?

Er no - you are confusing it with Spanish Fly (aka Cantharidin) which is ground-up beetles.

Correct. My bad. :oops: Used to be quite a regular cause of death, apparently, although not so much these days when people can buy little blue tablets over the counter from Boots.

BJ


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