Santa Claus, also known as
Saint Nicholas,
Father Christmas and simply "
Santa", is a figure with
legendary, mythical,
historical and
folkloric origins who, in many
western cultures, is said to bring
gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of
Christmas Eve, December 24.
The modern figure was derived from the
Dutch figure of
Sinterklaas,
which, in turn, may have part of its basis in
hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of gift giver
Saint Nicholas. A nearly identical story is attributed by Greek and Byzantine folklore to
Basil of Caesarea. Basil's feast day on January 1 is considered the time of exchanging gifts in Greece.