Santa Claus around the world: Not your ho-hum ho ho ho
Santa’s big fish story? A diver Santa Claus in Japan feeds a sunfish to attract visitors to the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama outside Tokyo on Dec.17 (Yoshikazu Tsuno / AFP/Getty Images)
A diver dressed as Santa Claus feeds sardines to celebrate Christmas at the Coex Aquarium in Seoul on Dec. 7. (Lee Jin-man / Associated Press)
Not all of these Santas can grant Christmas wishes, but they did participate in the Santa Claus Run (Carrera de PapaNoel) near Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on Dec. 13. (Gerard Julien / AFP/Getty Images)
In a race in Madrid, about 10,000 runners dressed as Santa Claus -- including these two kissing -- and his elves took part in a charity run on Dec. 13. (Gerard Julien / AFP/Getty Images)
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A bunch of Father Frosts, the equivalent of Santa Claus, take part in a charity run in central Moscow on Dec. 21. (Dmitry Serebryakov / AFP/Getty Images)
A run in central Moscow on Dec. 21 was organized to raise money for serious ill children. (Dmitry Serebryakov / AFP/Getty Images)
Motorcyclists dressed as Santa Claus flood the Piazza Venezia as they tour central Rome on Dec. 20. (Filippo Monteforte / AFP/Getty Images)
German bicycle enthusiast and designer Dieter “Didi” Senft, right, and his grandson, Tom Eberling, pose on a bicycle shaped like the Brandenburg Gate in Storkow, Germany, on Nov. 27. (Patrick Pleul / AFP/Getty Images)
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In Rio de Janeiro, a man dressed as Santa Claus zip-lines away from Sugar Loaf Mountain after riding on top of a cable car Dec. 18. The cable car company surprised tourists with a visit from Santa. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press)
Subway commuters in Sao Paolo, Brazil, take cellphone pictures of performers dressed as Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and elves inside a train car on Dec. 5. (Andre Penner / Associated Press)
Santa wears pink? In Singapore, yes. A diver in a pink Santa Claus suit feeds fish at a celebration of the naming of a baby pink dolphin at Underwater World Singapore on Dec. 18. (Roslan Rahman / AFP/Getty Images)
Santa Claus a.k.a. Scuba Santa waves to the crowds from inside an aquarium at Aquaria KLCC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Dec. 17. (Azhar Rahim / EPA)
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Santa loves the sea too. This stand-up paddler in Italy rides the waves in November before the holiday in Varazze, near Genoa. (Olivier Morin / AFP/Getty Images)
Sinterklaas (Santa Claus, left) and his entourage unveil a Sinterklaas version of “The Night Watch,” a take on the artwork by Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. The painting was presented in Amsterdam on Dec. 5 as a gift to the city. (Martijn Beekman / EPA)
In Nice, France, it’s traditional to take a dunk at the beach around Christmas. A group of women dressed as Santas take to the beach on Dec. 21. (Valery Hache / AFP/Getty Images)
In the town of Vallauris, France, about 250 people dressed as Santa Claus and posed for photographers before a Dec. 20 parade. (Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press)
