To Santa from Shanghai
Unwrapping the myriad meanings of Santa Claus in the βofficial home of Santaβ, Rovaniemi in Finland.
In the far north of Finland, 6km south of the Artic Circle, the town of Rovaniemi is the βofficial home" of Santa Claus - the location where any letter addressed to Santa (over 500,000 every year) will arrive.
St Nicholas may have roots in 3rd Century Turkey - but this one-time logging town is now the centre of a vast Santa industry. In 2019, more than half a million people came to Rovaniemiβs Santa Village β including 60,000 from China. Dignitaries such as Chinese President Xi Jinping have also made a pilgrimage to the home of the worldβs most identifiable, pan-cultural, pan-faith icon.
This year, though, things are different. Santaβs village lies eerily quiet due to Covid-19. All focus β and hope β lies on his official Post Office, and the letters that continue to stream through the door from children β and adults β across the world. Producer Steven Rajam tells the story of the global Santa tourism boom, the myths, fantasies and traditions that Santa represents across different cultures.
Contributors include writer on Christmas and biographer of Santa Claus, Gerry Bowler; historian Martin Johnes; expert on China and religion, Fenggang Yang; travel agency chief Chao Tang; and supervisor at Santaβs official post office, Katja Tervonen, who details how the hundreds of letters received every year give a unique insight into the thoughts and emotions of children around the world.
(Photo: Driver POV of sleigh ride in thick snow and bright sunshine in Rovaniemi. Credit: Lars Ley)
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- Christmas Day 2020 04:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Australasia, South Asia & East Asia only
- Christmas Day 2020 06:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Christmas Day 2020 13:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except Australasia, East Asia, News Internet & South Asia
- Boxing Day 2020 22:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except Americas and the Caribbean & Europe and the Middle East
- Sun 27 Dec 2020 10:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Sun 27 Dec 2020 17:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service News Internet
- Mon 28 Dec 2020 01:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
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