Where Does Santa Claus Live?

In the U.K. and Scandinavia, people believe that Santa lives in Lapland, specifically in the Finnish town of Rovaniemi. Danish Santa resides in Greenland, and Russian in Velikiy Ustyug.

While the opinions differ, most agree that Santa prefers the northern climate. However, the original Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, lived in Myra, on the territory of modern Turkey.

Some Santa’s residency versions may seem even stranger than Turkey.

For instance, people in the Netherlands believe that he resides in Spain and travels by boat, whereas the Chinese proudly invite everyone to visit Santa’s village in Mohe.

Why the North Pole?

The common knowledge is that Santa Claus lives on the North Pole, the northern point of the globe’s axis.

However, this definition is rather vague since the North Pole is bigger than many imagine and is not claimed by anyone.

The North Pole doesn’t belong to one specific country – it’s situated in the international waters of the Arctic Ocean and is surrounded by Canada, Greenland, Russia, Finland, and Norway.

Technically speaking, the North Pole isn’t even a piece of land but a large sheet of ice, so the best house Santa could build there is an igloo. But most of us imagine his house as a cozy wooden chalet.

Most likely, Santa lives not directly on the North Pole but in one of the surrounding regions. No one knows the exact location, though, and multiple countries claim to be Santa’s homeland.

To understand how the legend of Santa living in the North Pole emerged, we should get back to the 19th century. The first recorded reference of Santa’s homeland dates to 1866.

Thomas Nast was a famous German-American cartoonist who drew dozens of Christmas illustrations for Harper’s Weekly throughout his lifetime.

In fact, he’s partially responsible for our perception of Santa as a white-bearded man in a red suit, but that’s not today’s topic.

In 1866, Thomas Nast created one of his most popular cartoons for Harper’s Weekly that depicted Santa’s residence.

The sign next to the residence read “Santa Clausville, N.P.” As you may have guessed, “N.P.” stands for the North Pole.

Since Nast’s works had a major influence on European and American culture at that time, people quickly adopted the idea of Santa’s northern residence. But why exactly did Nast choose the North Pole, you may ask?

There are a few possible reasons, though Nast himself never confirmed any of them. For one, Christmas was already strongly linked with snow.

The time between 16th and late 19th centuries in Europe and the U.S. was known as the Little Ice Age. Today, regions located in temperate and subtropical climatic zones, such as England or Italy, rarely see snowy winters.

But in the 19th century, when many Christmas-related cultural pieces that influenced our perception of this holiday were created, snowy winters were a rule rather than an exception.

So, Thomas Nast may have chosen the North Pole for Santa’s residence because it was the snowiest place on Earth. However, another suggestion links this idea with geographical discoveries of that time.

The 1840s were characterized by an increased public interest in the Arctic, especially after Franklin’s 1845 expedition. This region was poorly investigated and seemed mysterious to ordinary people.

Since the Arctic didn’t belong to any country and wasn’t inhabited, it was the perfect place for Santa to hide away from people and live his life in peace.

This region choice also helped avoid debates over which country should be honored as Santa’s homeland. After all, Christmas is a multicultural holiday that shouldn’t be bound to a specific region.

Myra

The modern version of Santa’s residency is inevitably tied with northern territories, but the real-life Santa came from a completely different area.

The widely accepted origin of Santa Claus is a 4th-century bishop from Myra Saint Nicholas. His good deeds are the reason people started associating Christmas with gift-giving.

Myra is located in the territory of contemporary Turkey, but in the 4th century, it belonged to the Roman Empire. So, the Turks can justifiably consider their country to be Santa’s birth land.

However, we can’t be sure Santa didn’t move from Myra later on – after all, living in the same country for 17 centuries may be boring.

Finland

Another common version of Santa’s residency is Lapland. More specifically, Santa Claus’ village is located in the small town of Rovaniemi in northern Finland.

This theory makes perfect sense. Lapland is the northernmost part of Finland, the closest to the North Pole. But unlike the North Pole, it isn’t a huge chunk of ice, and you could actually build a house there.

According to a Finnish legend, about 100 years ago, Santa was searching for a place to live and had heard about a mysterious Ear Mountain.

He thought it would be a perfect place to hide his workshop at but also to meet people from around the world who would like to meet the Christmas spirit in person.

This legend could have remained reserved for Scandinavia if not for Eleanor Roosevelt. In the 1950s, Finland was still recovering from the 1940s’ Winter War with USSR.

UNICEF’s predecessor UNRRA provided some humanitarian help to the country, particularly to the northern town of Rovaniemi burned down in 1944.

In addition to humanitarian supplies, UNRRA has built the Arctic Circle Cabin in Rovaniemi to help Finland attract tourists.

Today, this cabin is known as the Roosevelt cottage. It was built in just two weeks’ time for the arrival of Eleonor Roosevelt, the widow of the former President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt and one of UNRRA’s leaders.

Eleonor Roosevelt was met in Rovaniemi by Santa himself. Perhaps, he chose to meet her at the cabin not to give away his workshop in the Ear Mountain.

Today, Santa’s village in Rovaniemi is a popular tourist attraction. There, people can ride Santa’s sleigh pulled by real reindeer or huskies, meet Mrs. Claus, enjoy holiday foods, and much more.

The North of Russia

As you remember, the North Pole is surrounded by Canada, Russia, Finland, Greenland, and Norway. No wonder Finland isn’t alone in claiming to be Santa’s homeland.

Russian version of Santa Claus named Ded Moroz or Grandfather Frost allegedly lives in the northern Russian town Velikiy Ustyug (the Great Ustyug).

Velikiy Ustyug truly resembles a magical land of the main holiday season miracle-maker, presenting tourists an array of beautiful wooden buildings and forests covered under a snow blanket. It became the Russian Santa’s homeland in 1998.

This lesser-known northern town was chosen as an official Santa’s residence by the Russian government to acquaint the youth with the country’s cultural heritage.

The goal was to promote Russian traditions by attracting young people to this well-preserved old-fashioned town.

Like Santa’s Finnish residence in Rovaniemi, his Russian home offers tourists a wide range of attractions, including restaurants, sleigh rides, and a workshop.

Thousands of kids from all around Russia and surrounding Russian-speaking countries send letters to Velikiy Ustyug every year. Most importantly, they receive official replies on holiday cards depicting Ded Moroz in his village.

Alaska

Not many know, but there is more than one North Pole on the Earth. Apart from the northern point of the Earth’s axis, the North Pole is also a small town in Alaska.

Naturally, the town couldn’t miss such a convenient chance to claim Santa’s residency. Since 1952, a snow-white Santa Claus House in the North Pole, Alaska, has welcomed visitors from all over the world.

Santa’s home in Alaska is not much different from that in Rovaniemi or Velikiy Ustyug – he has a very distinct style.

Children can visit a workshop or souvenir store, ride a sleigh, eat in a restaurant, or receive an original letter from Santa.

Greenland

The Danish wouldn’t agree with any of the above-mentioned Santa’s residency theories. They believe that he lives in Greenland, Uummannaq.

This legend originated relatively recently, in 1989, with the release of a Danish TV show “Elves in Greenland.”

Uummannaq is famous for the biggest Santa’s post box in the world. Of course, the town also has Santa’s workshop and a warehouse.

China

Perhaps, the most surprising Santa’s residency is the one in China.

Indeed, less than 5% of the country’s population is Christian, but could Santa have chosen China for this very reason? Less public interest means he can prepare for the next holiday season without distractions.

Jokes aside, the town Mohe is known as China’s North Pole. This northernmost town features a two-story wooden house where real-life Santa poses for pictures with tourists and writes letters to children.

The town also offers tourists to attend an ice sculpture festival, Christmas post office, and Santa’s workshop.

Despite an odd location choice, the town truly looks like a snow-covered winter wonderland. The lowest temperature recorded in Mohe was -62 degrees Fahrenheit, about the same as in Lapland.