NAVIGATE Culture
The World Santa Claus Congress kicks off with the entire congregation taking a dip at Bellevue Beach, north of Copenhagen.
Summer Santa denmark’s World Santa Claus Congress is a riot of laughs
I
was walking down Strøget, Copenhagen’s popular shopping street in July, soaking in the delicious summer weather when my three-year-old daughter shrieked, “Look amma, Santa Claus!” A few metres away, were three Santas. The jolly, silver-haired grandpas were laughing, chatting, and waving to shiny-eyed children who looked like they might faint with excitement. Pretty soon, there were nearly a hundred Santas, dressed to the nines, waltzing down Strøget. The weather was all wrong but this was certainly a Christmas parade. We had stumbled upon the Santa Congress—a whimsical festival that began in 1957, thanks to a Danish entertainer who called himself “Professor Tribini”. He believed that celebrating Christmas once a year wasn’t enough and began “Christmas in July” to spread a little mid-year cheer. Over the last 50 years, the summer Yuletide fair has morphed into a “professional forum” where Santas from around the world network, socialise, and spend time with
their fans. The World Santa Claus Congress attracts participants from Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, Sweden, United States, and United Kingdom who descend upon Denmark in July every year. My daughter had decreed she wasn’t going home until she had met every single Santa in the parade. I was a little curious as well and so we made our way to Bakken, a 426-yearold amusement park, and the venue for the World Santa Congress. A short train ride from the city centre, Bakken is located amidst lush woodlands where over 2,000 red deer, sika deer, and fallow deer reside. The fair grounds were a vibrant green, lit up with fairy lights—a great setting for us to meet global Santas, the Julemanden (the Danish name for the man in red), and their posses of perky pixies and elves. There were mistletoe-adorned horse-drawn carriages, Xmas-themed ferris wheels, and lady Santas (full garb, no beard), who were competing with their male counterparts for the title of “Honorary Santa of the Year”.
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As one Santa from Japan explained, the congress is meant to be a training ground of sorts, so there are workshops where they discuss Christmas traditions in various countries, the most popular toys of the year, and the maintenance of reindeer—all of which can be viewed by visitors. Other activities include a summer Christmas gala, carol-singing, watching Santas play football, and attending the parade in Strøget—the event that had brought us to Bakken. Watching the parade was fun but the events that drew the biggest cheers were the competitive ones. Last year’s celebrations included climbing an ice mountain, going down a chimney, and a Zumba danceoff. My favourite was watching a row of Santas squealing with glee as they rode a rollercoaster. It’s a sight I’ll never forget. The World Santa Claus Congress runs over three days in the last week of July. The main venue is Bakken, 10 km north of Copenhagen (11 a.m. to 5 p.m). Visit www. worldsantaclauscongress.com for details. n
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By Sarita Rajiv