See Every One of Santa’s International Guises
An entrepreneurial kid could potentially rack up on the gifts by traveling around the world, hitting three Christmas jackpots in one short month
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Santa Claus is a pretty popular guy. He really gets around the globe, as this Esri map shows. From Turkey to Chile to Japan, dozens of countries around the world celebrate their own beloved Santa incarnation, who answers to names ranging from Agios Vasills, Dyado Mraz, Ded Morz and Szent Mikios. All, however, are still the same jolly old figure, though each country has its own particular quirks. In South America, Santa adjusts his attire to the warm summer weather, donning red silk rather tha fur-lined wool. In Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic he beats the Christmas crowds and shows up several weeks earlier. On the other hand, he saves Russia and Georgia for later, arriving with gifts on New Year's Day. An entrepreneurial kid, therefore, could potentially rack up on the gifts by traveling around the world and hitting three Christmas jackpots in one short month.
More from Smithsonian.com:
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Meet the Thirteen Yule Lads, Iceland's Own Mischievous Santa Clauses
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