A sea of Santas

The Buon Natale procession entered the Guinness World Records in 2014 for having “the largest gathering of Santa Claus” with 18,112 people. Thrissur Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath accepted the honour

In 2014, a Christmas procession started a year before by the Thrissur Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, entered the Guinness World Records for having the largest number of people dressed up as Santa Claus. A total of 18,112 people in Father Christmas costumes turned up at the event called Buon Natale held annually in Thrissur in Kerala, leading the authorities to declare it "the largest gathering of Santa Claus".

In 2013, the procession began with about 7,000 people. Ravi Jose Thanickal, a resident of Thrissur and an associate of the event's organising committee says it was Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath who originally came up with the idea, inspired by a similar event celebrated somewhere in Europe, and keen to recreate it in his hometown. The event is celebrated under the auspices of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur which has nearly half a million Syro-Malabar Catholics now, and which used to be the largest Catholic diocese in India when it included the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda until 1978 and Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palghat until 1973. It is the parishes under the Archdiocese that appoint a certain number of people every year to appear in the red and white costumes.

The cultural event itself includes dances, flash mobs, prize distribution ceremonies, giant life size floats, children dressed as angels, and thousands of Santas.

The event is held annually a few days after Christmas, says Thanickal, and not on December 25 which is reserved for church, home and family. Starting in the early hours of the evening from St Thomas College, the procession usually winds through the Swaraj Round in the heart of the city accompanied by different sets of bands. The cultural event itself includes dances, flash mobs, prize distribution ceremonies, giant life size floats depicting the Vadakkumnathan Temple in Thrissur, the Taj Mahal and the St Peter's Basilica in Vatican among other cultural and religious symbols, children dressed as angels, and Santas on stilts and wheelchairs. "The main attraction of the event are undoubtedly the Santas," says RJ Subbu, formerly part of Red FM Thrissur who has attended the event more than once. "It is colourful, rhythmic, and aerial shots of it look great," he says, fondly remembering the little Father Christmases who would gather huffing and puffing in their costumes in the warm December evenings of Thrissur every year.

This event was also started to raise funds for charity, notes Thanickal. There are several sponsors, he says, who support the event, the money being directed towards causes like building houses for the poor. In 2020, the event, due to the pandemic, was held online, as it will be this year as well. Carols will be sung in churches, and these will then be telecast on 24-hour Malayalam entertainment television channel Flowers.

7,000
Number of Santas who turned up in the first year of the event in 2013