{"id":14979,"date":"2023-12-15T07:45:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T15:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=14979"},"modified":"2023-12-28T18:07:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-29T02:07:21","slug":"santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/","title":{"rendered":"A Late-Delivery XMAS Card from Santa in Turkey, Patron Saint of Travelers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Just a pleasure visiting the wayback, remembering my daughter\u2019s first far-flung travel. And a chance to reprise it for Christmas and New Years wishes from the original Santa Claus. Many lay claim to the origins of the Santa legend, but St. Nicholas, of the ancient city of Myra in Turkey, is the real deal. Trace them back, most other countries\u2019 Santa legends are spinoffs.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14977\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14977\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14977\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum.jpg\" alt=\"Santa Claus stand-ins at the Antalya Archeological Museum\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14977\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Santas bring a softer edge to the marble heroes in the Antalya Archeological Museum. Photograph by Skip Kaltenheuser.<br \/><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When daughter Katie (aka Kat), was eight she lucked into being the US representative when Turkey brought in kids from a number of nations at XMAS to explore the origins of Santa Claus. \u00a0I lucked into being her sidekick. Festive understates the enthusiasm of a bakers dozen of mostly Muslim Santa Claus stand-ins. They joyfully guided the kids about the Mediterranean city Antalya and throughout ancient ruins on the way to the church of St. Nicholas in Myra, about 142 km away, south and west along the coast. Hip-hopping Santa Clauses, conga line Santa Clauses, break dancing Santa Clauses. These Santas had great moves.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14976\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14976\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14976\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya.jpg\" alt=\"Santa stand-ins at Antalya\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14976\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Santas summoning the children of the countries they\u2019re assigned to show around Antalya. Photograph by Skip Kaltenheuser.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The celebration of St. Nicholas is actually on December 6th, the day of his death in 343.<\/p>\n<p>Myra endured through cascading empires \u2014\u00a0Lycian, ancient Greek, Roman Greek, Byzantine Greek and Ottoman Greek, with many overlapping influences from Hittite to Persian to Egyptian. The Greeks departed in 1923, in the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The local ruins are impressive, though much of what would be great to still have about didn\u2019t outlast Santa Claus\u2019s distaste for pagan reminders, alas.<\/p>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">jQuery(function() { _initLayerSlider( '#layerslider_14_th3n7lpp2ndz', {sliderVersion: '6.2.2', skin: 'borderlesslight', globalBGSize: 'cover', navButtons: false, showBarTimer: true, thumbnailNavigation: 'disabled', skinsPath: 'https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/plugins\/LayerSlider\/assets\/static\/layerslider\/skins\/'}); });<\/script><div id=\"layerslider_14_th3n7lpp2ndz\" class=\"ls-wp-container fitvidsignore\" style=\"width:850px;height:780px;margin:0 auto;margin-bottom: 0px;\"><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;transition2d:12;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-01.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-01.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-01-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-01-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-01-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:208px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Christmas Service at the ancient church of St. Nicholas<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;transition2d:12;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"Santa Claus stand-ins at the Antalya Archeological Museum\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:80px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Santas bring a softer edge to the marble heroes in the Antalya Archeological Museum<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;transition2d:12;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"Santa stand-ins at Antalya\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santas-in-Antalya-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:64px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Santas summoning the children of the countries they\u2019re assigned to show around Antalya<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"ancient church of St. Nicolas, Myra, Turkey\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:309px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Ancient church of St. Nicholas<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-02.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-02.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-02-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-02-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-02-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:387px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Footloose<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-03.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-03.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-03-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-03-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-03-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:309px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">So you think you can dance?<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-04.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-04.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-04-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-04-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-04-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:259px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Turkish children entertaining their guests<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"570\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-05.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-05.jpg 570w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-05-268x300.jpg 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px\" style=\"top:0px;left:140px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:302px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Antalya Archeological Museum<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"580\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-06.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-06.jpg 580w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-06-273x300.jpg 273w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" style=\"top:0px;left:135px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:347px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Santas warming up<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-07.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-07.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-07-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-07-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-07-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><div style=\"top:660px;left:291px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlasobscura.com\/places\/myra-necropolis\" target=\"_blank\">Myra Necropolis<\/a> \u2013 Demre, Turkey<\/div><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-08.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-08.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-08-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-08-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-08-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><div style=\"top:660px;left:98px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Another theater, this one for gladiators and wild animals, looking out from where<br>they waited in the wings for glory or their demise.<\/div><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-09.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-09.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-09-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-09-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-09-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:374px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Ruins details<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-10.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-10.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-10-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-10-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-10-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:70px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Santas gone wild, dancers celebrating after their performance with less traditional steps<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-11.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-11.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-11-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-11-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-11-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:304px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Ancient Greek theater in Myra<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-12.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-12.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-12-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-12-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-12-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:323px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Katie summons a dolphin<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-13.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-13.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-13-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-13-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-13-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:302px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Ancient Greek Theater of Myra<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-14.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-14.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-14-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-14-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-14-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:164px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Symbolizing theater masks in the Ancient Greek Theater of Myra<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-15.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-15.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-15-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-15-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-15-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:134px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Plundered ancient rock cut tombs of the Lycian necropolis, Myra, Turkey<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"504\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-16.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-16.jpg 504w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-16-237x300.jpg 237w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\" style=\"top:0px;left:173px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:177px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Antalya Archeological Museum, 75,000 square feet of wonder<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-17.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-17.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-17-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-17-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-17-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:350px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Krampus incognito<\/p><\/div><div class=\"ls-slide\" data-ls=\"duration:5000;kenburnsscale:1.2;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-18.jpg\" class=\"ls-l\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-18.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-18-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-18-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santa-in-Turkey-18-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" style=\"top:0px;left:0px;text-align:initial;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\"><p style=\"top:660px;left:42px;text-align:center;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;mix-blend-mode:normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:16px;line-height:25px;\" class=\"ls-l\" data-ls=\"showinfo:1;\">Sunset on the Taurus Mountains bordering Antalya, named for the bull that symbolized ancient<br>Near Eastern storm gods, who flooded rivers like the Tigris and Euphrates to fertilize land.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>What he lacked in historical preservation, St. Nicholas made up for with a charitable heart. Losing his parents to a plague that wiped out a large swath of the population, he acquired a great inheritance. He joined the church and used his fortune to serve the poor and sick, becoming the bishop for Myra. One famous legend is that he knew a man on hard times was so in debt he might have to sell his three daughters into prostitution. One night Nicholas threw a sock filled with gold coins through the older daughter\u2019s window, allowing the man to pay his debt.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14978\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14978\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14978\" src=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas.jpg\" alt=\"ancient church of St. Nicolas, Myra, Turkey\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas.jpg 850w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Church-of-St.-Nicolas-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14978\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ancient church of St. Nicholas.\u00a0 Photograph by Skip Kaltenheuser.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Under one\u00a0emperor, Diocletian, who was notorious for persecuting and killing Christians, he spent time in prison. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of those unjustly imprisoned, as well as of Greece, Russia,\u00a0sailors, merchants, and scholars.<\/p>\n<p>St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of prostitutes and of travelers.<\/p>\n<p>No word on traveling salesmen, but I bet they&#8217;re covered.<\/p>\n<p>When we were at the church in Myra\/Demre for the service honoring St. Nicholas, it was thought that his bones had long ago departed for Italy. But right beneath where we were turns out to be <a href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/1164787\/archaeologists-in-turkey-are-digging-for-the-original-santa-clause\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">his intact tomb<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s\u00a0been sixteen or so years since Katie searched for Santa in Turkey. After serving in Americorps, she\u2019s in a masters program in social work at Catholic U. Perhaps St. Nicholas gave her a nudge.<\/p>\n<p>In any\u00a0case, that\u00a0stretch of Turkey\u2019s southern coast is a grand place to spend the Christmas season, or muse about.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stnicholascenter.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Here\u2019s a bit more information and some nifty legends<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jolly Merry, toward a more\u00a0fortunate year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just a pleasure visiting the wayback, remembering my daughter\u2019s first far-flung travel. And a chance to reprise it for Christmas and New Years wishes from the original Santa Claus. Many lay claim to the origins of the Santa legend, but St. Nicholas, of the ancient city of Myra in Turkey, is the real deal. Trace them back, most other countries\u2019 Santa legends are spinoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":14977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[3211,564,3210,3125],"class_list":["post-14979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-travel","tag-antalya","tag-santa-claus","tag-st-nicolas","tag-turkey"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Santa in Turkey, Patron Saint of Travelers - Traveling Boy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many lay claim to the origins of Santa Claus, but - Santa in Turkey - St. Nicolas of ancient Myra in Turkey, is the real deal.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Santa in Turkey, Patron Saint of Travelers - Traveling Boy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many lay claim to the origins of Santa Claus, but - Santa in Turkey - St. Nicolas of ancient Myra in Turkey, is the real deal.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Traveling Archive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-15T15:45:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-29T02:07:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"638\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Skip Kaltenheuser\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Skip Kaltenheuser\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Skip Kaltenheuser\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/person\/4c3dfe6186b9fdef5c87485c513a3df8\"},\"headline\":\"A Late-Delivery XMAS Card from Santa in Turkey, Patron Saint of Travelers\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-15T15:45:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-29T02:07:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/\"},\"wordCount\":607,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Antalya-Archeological-Museum.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Antalya\",\"Santa Claus\",\"St. Nicolas\",\"turkey\"],\"articleSection\":[\"World Travel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/santa-in-turkey-patron-saint-of-travelers\/\",\"name\":\"Santa in Turkey, Patron Saint of Travelers - 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He extended his reach with travel writing, and efforts such as supervising elections and doing special projects. A member of the National Press Club international correspondents and photography committees, Skip has a diverse subject mix including politics, law, business and travel. His work has appeared in well over a hundred different magazines and newspapers worldwide. Of late, many of his features are for \u201cGlobal Insight\u201c, the magazine of the International Bar Association, for which he often comments on Washington dysfunction. 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