It's official -- Santa is from Greenland, according to an edict from the world's top Father Christmases at their annual summit in Denmark.
Sweating it out in the summer heat in white beards and red hats and robes, 130 Father and Mother Christmases and Santa's helpers from 12 countries including Japan, Canada, Britain and Spain put an end to debate about which Nordic nation was their real home.
"It's a fact: he comes from Greenland," said Kurt Flemming, chairman of the 40th annual Father Christmas World Congress.
Greenland's delegate quashed rival claims to the title with the argument: "We have lots and lots of reindeer in Greenland. Didn't you know that?" But Finnish Lapland, traditional rival of Greenland for the title, was not represented at the congress.
The Santa summit also ignored historical evidence rooting their traditions in Turkey, where fourth-century Christian Saint Nicholas of Myra helped the poor and needy.
After their debate, the delegates paraded through Copenhagen to the strains of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." They cooled their feet on a beach and enjoyed Danish pastries and beer.
Suitably cheered, the Santas promised bigger presents for children this year -- "if they've been nice. And most have. But politicians get smaller ones," said Flemming, who doubles as a circus clown outside the Christmas season.
(Agencies)
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在丹麦召开的世界顶级圣诞老人年度峰会上发布的通告说:圣诞老人来自格陵兰岛。这消息可是正式的哦!
来自日本、加拿大、英国和西班牙等12个国家的130名男女圣诞老人和他们的助手聚集丹麦。他们戴着白胡子、红帽子,穿着红长袍,忍受着酷暑的煎熬,终于结束了有关圣诞老人到底来自哪个北欧国家的辩论。
"事实就是:他来自格陵兰岛,"第四十届世界圣诞老人年度会议主席库尔特·弗莱明说。
格陵兰岛的代表战胜了争夺这一称号的竞争对手。他们辩论说:"格陵兰岛有数以万计的驯鹿,难道你们不知道吗?"但是芬兰的拉普兰地区并没有派代表出席这次会议。拉普兰一直以来都是格陵兰岛的竞争对手。
本次圣诞老人年度峰会同时也忽略了圣诞传统源自土耳其的历史证据。早在公元四世纪,土耳其米拉的基督徒圣·尼古拉曾经在那里帮助过穷人。
讨论结束后,代表们在《红鼻子驯鹿鲁道夫》这首歌的伴奏下游行穿过哥本哈根市。之后他们在海滩上休息,尽情享受丹麦的馅饼和啤酒。
值得欢呼的是圣诞老人们保证今年会给孩子们带来更大的礼物。弗莱明说:"如果孩子们表现好的话,他们大多数人都会有(礼物),但是政客们只能得到小一点的礼物。"他在圣诞节以外的时间里还兼任马戏团的小丑。
sweat it out: 咬紧牙关,坚持到最后
strain: 旋律,曲调
(中国日报网站译)
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