London - Father Christmas is the target of a new campaign by the Anglican church, which wants to restore St Nicholas as the symbol of the Christmas festive season, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, and other senior members of the Church of England are backing the move to end the "cult of Father Christmas" and put the fourth-century saint at the heart of celebrations to mark the birth of Jesus.
"I applaud the notion of restoring the historical identity of the great gift-giver who was the bishop St Nicholas. He and his legend epitomise Christian sacrifice, generosity and compassion," Carey said.
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The conservative newspaper said many children now regarded Father Christmas rather than Jesus Christ as the central character in the celebration.
| 'We want St Nicholas to replace Father Christmas as the face of Christmas' |
The newly established St Nicholas Society, based in the Diocese of London, wants Britain to fall into line with nations such as Belgium, Holland and Russia, which give the religious figure priority over Father Christmas.
They say a revitalised St Nicholas, who is the patron saint of gift-giving and children, will increase awareness of the festival's Christian roots.
Jim Rosenthal, the director of communication for the Worldwide Anglican Communion and the society's founder, said: "We want St Nicholas to replace Father Christmas as the face of Christmas. For centuries, St Nicholas, who wore bishop's robes and carried a mitre, was at the centre of the celebration.
"He was the very reason why people gave gifts. We now feel it is time for Father Christmas to get out of his elf's costume and back into his religious robes," he added.
The society will not tackle what some see as the over-commercialisation of Christmas. Instead, it wants to show that the tradition of buying gifts has its roots deep within the Christian tradition.
It wants the Feast of St Nicholas, which falls on the date of the saint's death on December 6, to receive more recognition, and hopes he will eventually reclaim his place at the centre of the celebration.
The bishop in the Turkish town of Myra was renowned for his generosity. Church leaders decided to bring the festival in line with the celebrations to mark the birth of Christ.
The Reformation of the 16th century led to his abolition in a number of European countries. Dutch settlers, however, took the legend of St Nicholas - or Sante Klaas in their dialect - with them when they went to America.
This mutated to Santa Claus who developed into a largely secular figure. He owes his current incarnation to the Coca-Cola company who redesigned him in the 1940s for a drink advertisement. - Sapa-DPA
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