Santa’s grotto actually exists!

In the traditional sense of the word anyway.  A grotto (or Italian grotta) is defined as any type of natural or artificial cave  and Santa has got one for real, in Bari, Italy.

The Christian origins of Santa mostly derive from a middle-eastern man, born in the forth century, in the Lycian port of Myra (now Demre), Turkey.  He was a simple bishop (and later, Saint), most famous for his giving of dowries (a brides monetary gift to her impending husband) to three daughters, who were destined to become prostitutes because of their rather impoverished father’s lack of husbandry funding.  This  supposedly led to the modern-day gift giving we all enjoy today.  Many of Santa’s trademark characteristics are said to originate from a much less obvious source however;  Odin, the chief God figure in Norse-Paganism.

Odin was said to have ridden an eight-legged flying horse named Sleipnir (which, oddly, means “the slipper”).  This is believed to be where the stories of Santa’s reindeer originate.  On top of that, during the Germanic holiday of Yule, children were said to have filled their boots with carrots, straw and sugar and to have placed them next to the chimney as gifts for Sleipnir.  Odin would then replace these with gifts and candy which sound suspiciously like our modern-day tradition of hanging stockings and leaving gifts for Rudolph.

Anyway,.. back to Santa’s grotto…

In 1087, in an effort to find the last remains of our Turkish friend, the Italian city of Bari sent out an expedition to find his tomb and bring the remains back to Bari.  His bones can be seen there to this very day, at the ‘Basilica di San Nicola‘.  You can even make an offering to him in a plea to find a husband, should you wish.

That’s not quite the end of the story however.  Many Irish historians claim that the remains have been moved since then to Jerpoint Abbey in county Kilkenny, where you can actually visit his grave.

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