Spain's Holiday Cry: Down With Santa!
Pastor Dale Morgan
Monday, Dec. 24, 2007
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Spain's Holiday Cry: Down With Santa!*
By Lisa Abend and Geoff Pingree/Madrid
The latest battle in the war on globalization came Friday morning in
Madrid, when a handful of demonstrators staged a protest outside the
Finnish embassy. Their target was a particular northern Scandinavian toy
factory, which they see as an example of the dark side of globalization.
Brandishing placards, the protesters' made their message clear: "We're
with the Kings!" they chanted. "Down with Santa!"
What's the beef with Santa? In Spain, where manger scenes are still the
Christmas holidays' major decoration, few feel the need to "put the
Christ back in Christmas." But while Jesus's place remains secure, the
three kings — the wise men who followed the Star of Bethlehem to his
manger — may need some help. In Spain it is these three, who, upholding
the tradition they began when delivering gold, frankincense and myrrh to
the baby Jesus's bedside, bring presents to children on the Epiphany,
January 6. The fat guy in the red suit who visits on Christmas Eve (Papa
Noel as he is called here) is a foreign import, promoted by Hollywood
and international companies eager to expand the gift season. And for
many Spaniards, Santa — and the cultural imperialism he represents —
must be stopped.
La Despensa, a local boutique marketing firm, appears to be leading the
charge. The company's small band of Santa-detractors has blanketed the
city with posters bearing slogans like "Down with the Fat Red
Capitalist." They have issued a blunt manifesto (example: "Reindeers
don't fly. Camels do walk. Enough already with the fraud.") and urged
Kings' defenders to sign it. They have also filmed a rap video that
features Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, in full bling, dropping lines
like "Santa — you think you're on the crest of the ola [wave], but
you're just product placement for Coca Cola" — which Spaniards can buy
as a ringtone for their cell phones.
"When we were kids, there was no question — it was the Kings who brought
presents," says Miguel Olivares, co-director for La Despensa. "So who is
this guy in the red suit? Clearly the Kings are losing their market
share, they're not getting as many letters as before. As marketing
specialists, we could see they needed to communicate better, and to
modernize their image."
The "I'm with the Kings" campaign is designed to do just that. Olivares
claims La Despensa is not selling any product or service, though he
admits the attention has been good for business. The agency has daily
events planned through January 6 (last Saturday, one of Santa's elves
turned up at the announcement of the winning number in Spain's Christmas
lottery to draw attention to the inhumane work conditions that he and
his comrades' endure in their service to the greedy gift-giver).
Is the call to arms working? At the Christmas market in Madrid's Plaza
Mayor, vendors were doing a brisk business in Papa Noel dolls attached
to ladders (in Spain, he comes in through the apartment window, not down
the chimney). But Nicholas, age 4, whose grandmother was hustling him
into the car for a family gathering, was having none of it. Asked
whether he'd side with Santa or the Kings, he was adamant: "The Kings,
of course — they're the ones who bring the presents!"