The Jolly Old Man In The Big Red Suit! Santa's history is long and varied but for many decades the American Santa has been a universal figure in English speaking countries. With the 20th century revival of globalization and the advent of the internet, Santa Claus has become a prime Christmas figure in every corner of the globe. Although other countries have long had different gift-giver characters, Santa is now number one in much of the world. So with that in mind let's take a brief trip around the world and find out about Santa Claus in other countries. In Brazil Santa is known as Papai Noel and in Rio he arrives by helicopter to kick off Christmas celebrations on December 20th. In Austria and Switzerland Santa Claus has all but replaced Austria's traditional gift giver, Christkind or the " Christ child ." Many Austrians are attempting to overthrow Santa and bring Christkind back in preeminence. In Germany the traditional Santa is know
FOLKLORE, FACTS AND FEATURES ABOUT HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD