Antalya, southern Turkey, hosted a religious ceremony this week to commemorate the anniversary of the death of St. Nicholas, the Christian saint who gave birth to the modern legend of Santa Claus (Father Christmas). The religious ceremony, which was attended by many faithful, took place at the St Nicholas Church Museum in the Demre district, and was presided over by the Orthodox Patriarch of Istanbul Bartholomew I, who used the occasion to call for peace in Ukraine and Gaza.
Bartholomew I thanked the Turkish authorities for their help to held the ceremony, in particular the Ministers of Culture and Tourism and of Interior. Curiously, the religious ceremony was attended by Ukrainian and Russian citizens living in Antalya, who together with the rest of the faithful lit candles and prayed for Saint Nicholas: a 4th century bishop who according to tradition died on 6 December 345 AD in Myra (Demre), known for defending the weak against the powerful, and who throughout the Middle Ages gave rise to the legend of Santa Claus when it mixed with the Norse myth of Joulupukki.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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