India’s Dream Merchants

This month marks the anniversaries of the birth of some of Indian cinema’s biggest stars. It is the centenary of actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, who would have been 100 on December 14. His peer Dilip Kumar, method actor extraordinaire, would have been 102 on December 11. Kumar has been cited by Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan as a major influence. Kapoor and Kumar were neighbors growing up in Peshawar (now in Pakistan) before moving to Mumbai and remained lifelong friends.
Dilip Kumar and Madhubala: An Iconic Pairing
© Sterling Investment Corporation—RGR Collection/Alamy
Rajinikanth: Superstar of South Indian Cinema
© 2021 Sun Pictures—TCD/Prod.DB/Alamy

The Real St. Nick

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated this weekend. Nicholas was a 4th-century Christian figure known as the patron saint of Russia and Greece, as well as children and sailors. In some countries, children leave letters for him, and carrots or grass for his donkey or horse, and wake up to find small presents and candies. So, who was St. Nicholas?

The man

St. Nicholas’s existence is not attested by any historical document, so nothing certain is known of his life except that he was probably bishop of Myra. According to tradition, he was born in the Lycian seaport city of Patara. He was imprisoned and likely tortured by the Roman emperor Diocletian but was released under the rule of Constantine the Great.

The legend

Nicholas’s reputation for kindness gave rise to legends of miracles. He was reputed to have given marriage dowries of gold to three girls whom poverty would otherwise have forced into prostitution, and to have restored to life three children who had been chopped up by a butcher and put in a tub of brine.

A depiction of the story of Saint Nicholas, 4th Century Bishop of Myra and the wicked innkeeper, circa 340 AD. The innkeeper had robbed and murdered two young boys who were staying at his inn, chopped up their bodies and pickled them in a tub. The legacy

In the Middle Ages, devotion to Nicholas extended to all parts of Europe. After the Reformation, Nicholas disappeared in all the Protestant countries of Europe, except the Netherlands, where his legend persisted as Sinterklaas (a Dutch variant of the name St. Nicholas). Dutch colonists took this tradition to the American colonies in the 17th century, and Sinterklaas was adopted by the English-speaking majority as Santa Claus.

© Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Trending Quizzes

See All Quizzes
Where in America is That?
Crisscross the U.S. by placing these famous landmarks.
From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology
Do you know which hero took a dip in the River Styx? Or what mysteries lurk inside the Labyrinth?
Ultimate Animals Quiz
What is a rattlesnake’s rattle made of? What animals can go over 180 miles an hour?
Guess the Language! Quiz
Can you recognize a language by its greeting?
Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz
Take this quiz or you may regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.
American Civil Rights Movement Quiz
Test your knowledge of Americans’ tumultuous fight to end racial segregation and discrimination.
Name That Thing: Tools
A handy quiz to test your tool acumen.
The Dog Breed Quiz
Find out which breed can outrun a cheetah, which breed was created by monks, and much more.
Baking and Baked Goods Quiz
You may have a sweet tooth, but how much do you know about baking and baked goods? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
First Ladies of the United States Quiz
They have been hostesses, helpers, advisers, gatekeepers, guardians, confidantes, and sometimes formidable powers behind...

Featured Videos

See All Videos
The video thumbnail shows a small squirrel peeking out of a snowy bank, with a blue circle surrounding it.
Why do these animals hibernate?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Britannica Premium Subscription

Unlock Exclusive Content!

Britannica's content is among the most trusted in the world. Subscribe to Britannica Premium and unlock our entire database of trusted content today.
Subscribe Now!
Mortgage Payment Calculator
Estimate your monthly mortgage payments with our free mortgage calculator. Account for interest rates, compound frequency and pay back schedule.
Compound Interest Calculator
Compounding means getting returns on your previous returns plus your initial investment. Learn how to grow your savings with our compound interest calculator.
Percentage Increase Calculator
Calculate the increase from one value to another with our free percentage increase calculator. Evaluate population growth, inflation, stock values and more.
Retirement Income Calculator
Are you on track for retirement? Use our free retirement calculator to help determine how much you'll need to save each year to retire at your desired age.
Time Value of Money (TVM) Calculator
The time value of money (TVM) principle asserts that the same amount of money is worth more now than in the future. Use our TVM calculator to estimate future value, present value & more.

More From Britannica

ProCon.org
Award-winning ProCon.org promotes critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting the pro and con arguments to controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.
Britannica Money
Discover all you need to know about retirement, investing, and household finance, without the jargon or agenda. Get reliable guidance, insight, and easy-to-understand explanations, written, edited, and verified to Britannica’s exacting standards.
Advocacy for Animals
Presenting Advocacy for Animals, a blog focused primarily on animal rights, wildlife conservation, environmental health and safety, and the legal and cultural issues related to these topics. This blog is a source of information and a call to action. It is meant to be a provocation and a stimulus to thought regarding humanity’s relationship with nonhuman animals.
Alain Elkann Interviews
Alain has been writing a weekly interview column for the Italian newspaper La Stampa since 1989. His interviews celebrate some of the best known and successful personalities of the present day.