SantaCon
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SantaCon is a mass gathering of people dressed in their various interpretations of Santa Claus costumes and performing publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity, creativity, and the improvisational nature of human interaction while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill to all they come across.
Sometimes known in the United States as Naughty Santas, Cheapsuit Santas, Santarchy, Santa Rampage, the Red Menace and Santapalooza, SantaCon events are noted for cheerfully bawdy and harmless behavior, including the singing of naughty Christmas carols, and the giving of small gifts and free hugs to random strangers. In Japan there is more of the "doing good" principle and they have contributed to the community through such activities as Santa litter-picking outings. Some participants see SantaCon as a postmodern revival of Saturnalia, while others see the event as a precursor of the flash mob. For others it is about spreading the real spirit of Christmas in the form of love, generosity, fun and celebration with ones fellows.
In 1994, the Cacophony Society staged the first American SantaCon in San Francisco. Influenced by the surrealist movement, Discordianism, and other subversive art currents, the Cacophonists decided to celebrate the Yule season in a distinctly anti-commercial manner, by mixing guerrilla street theatre, pranksterism, and public intoxication. SantaCon has since evolved, spawning many different versions and interpretations of the event throughout the world.
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[edit] Santa events around the world
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Local Cacophony Societies have staged SantaCons in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, San Jose,Washington DC, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Steamboat Springs, Austin, Vancouver, London, Tokyo, and McMurdo Station in Antarctica. By 2003, the idea had spread to almost 30 cities in four countries. In 2005, enough Santas participated in the Washington D.C. Santarchy to encircle the Washington Monument. In Baltimore Santacon has been inconsistent, occurring some years but not others. But it was revived by an ornery band on December 15, 2007, which garnered some press coverage by the Baltimore Sun.
Santa events are now planned and put on by many groups for a variety of purposes. Some groups participate only for a night out bar hopping, while others parade through the cities in the daytime singing Christmas Carols, giving out candy and gifts to children, and raising money for charity. But not all Santa events are Santarchy: some are opportunities for extreme guerrilla street theatre and can be quite bizarre and rowdy, while others are more tame. Each one has its own flavor depending on the individual personalities that participate and encourages creativity and humor. A conventional Santarchy event is also open and inclusive to all who wish to participate, while some other Santa events might not be.
[edit] The London Santacon
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The London event has been held every year since 2001 and attracted more than 1,000 santas in 2007. There is a generally understood policy of "no politics" which makes it acceptable to all, and the group has managed to perform over various routes in London without any trouble or the need for police escort. The London Santacon developed independently, originally being called Santathon, and does not adhere to the rules of the Cacophony Lodges or the Santarchists but have a general code of good conduct which is sometimes surreal in content.
[edit] Santarchy and the law
Most participants of Santarchy adhere to a set of 'Santa's Rules and Suggestions' [1]. Most Santa groups are not protesting about anything, and their only purpose is to have fun and spread holiday cheer. More often than not, Santa-themed events take place internationally each year without any notable disturbance. There are exceptions however.
In 2005, a more violent version of the event occurred when on December 18, participants in Auckland, New Zealand, proceeded to start a small riot, with such criminal acts as looting stores, throwing bottles at passing cars, and assaulting security guards. At least two bystanders were lightly injured and three arrests were made. Alex Dyer, spokesman for the group, stated that Santarchy in Auckland was part of a worldwide phenomenon designed to protest against the commercialization of Christmas.[2] An update on the recent "Bad Santa" behavior is available on the santarchy.com website[3]. The New Zealand group claims the media exaggerated the incident. Many participants of other SantaCon and Santarchy events were very shocked and disappointed by the incident, and disputed Alex Dyers characterization of Santa events as being any kind of "protest". The antics of the drunk New Zealand Santas were made doubly prominent thanks to a Christmas Eve TV show made by Two Heads for Sky 1, the leading cable channel in the country.
Another incident occurred in December 2005, when a horde of Santas rode bicycles into traffic in Tulsa, Oklahoma during morning rush hour. Eyewitness, police scanner, and radio traffic reports indicate Santas were spotted across Tulsa. The Tulsa Indy Gazetteer later reported that at least one of the Santas was later apprehended and charged with violations of city ordinances. [4].
Despite these stories, most SantaCon events still maintain Christmas cheer. According to Reuters News, a Santa in Great Britain in 2005 paid off parking tickets. The Santa left money on the windshields of drivers who have received parking tickets with the message "Don't let this ticket spoil your Christmas, Here's £30 to pay it off. Merry Christmas - Parking Ticket Santa."
[edit] Similar events
Other mass gatherings of Santas include the Running of the Santas in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Santa Speedo Run in Boston, Massachusetts.[5]
[edit] In popular culture
- The Santa Rampage is mentioned in Chuck Palahniuk's book Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon and in his short story "My Life as a Dog" (featured in the book Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories).
- Two half-hour TV specials, "Santarchy" & "Santarchy II", were produced by Two Heads, www.twoheads.co.nz, for cable TV in New Zealand.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official Santarchy Site
- SantaRampage - Austin
- Santarchy - Baltimore
- SantaCon - Chicago
- Santa Rampage - DFW Metroplex - Dallas/Denton/Arlington
- Santarchy - Detroit
- SantaCon - Greensboro, NC
- Santacon - London
- SantaCon - Munich, Germany
- SantaCon - New York
- SantaCon 2006 NYC Video The Reason Why Santa Came to Town (The Complete Version)
- SantaCon 2006 NYC Video
- Pacific Northwest Tri-Santacon - Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, and Vancouver, BC
- Santarchy - Phoenix, AZ
- Santarchy Toronto
- SantaCon - Vancouver, BC
- Santarchy - Washington DC
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