25,000 Santas to dance, set record

THRISSUR: Come December 27 and as many as 25, 000 santas will dance down the streets of the town to set a new record for the Christmas carnivals in the country.

The organisers hope to break the record of the Christmas carol party held in Portugal last year in which 14,963 santas were featured.

The city will also see a gathering of 2,000 girls dressed up as holy angels, camels with kings, hundreds of artists and numerous floats depicting various socio-cultural events, the life of Christ and themes based on Bible.

The event titled ‘Bon Nathalie’ will start from the Sacred Heart School near here at 4 p.m. and will march down the Swaraj Round to conclude on the premises of St.Thomas College at 7 p.m.

According to the organisers, this is for the first time in the country that 25, 000 santas would be lined up in an event. Several groups, including motorcycle cadets and dancing schools, will join the parade, which takes its cue from similar events in the western countries, they said .

“Bringing in the Christmas spirit will be Santa , Frosty, the Gingerbread Man etc. The parade also will feature live bands singing Christmas songs,” said Mr James Valappila, an organiser.