Sharjah

Santa Claus arrived in Sharjah yesterday, well before Christmas, with many surprise gifts for children.

He flew directly from Santa Claus village in Lapland in northern Finland. The village has a gift workshop and a post office which receives letters from children all over the world.

It is the first time that the area's Santa Claus has visited a Gulf country. He will be at Deira City Centre, in Dubai today and tomorrow from 4.00 pm to 6.30 pm.

However, one of the main objectives of the visit of Santa Claus is to meet seriously ill children in Dubai. He will visit Dubai hospitals to see them. "I have come here to see good children as I have good friends all over the world," said Santa yesterday.

Universal figure

"As many as 30 seriously ill children will meet Santa Claus at a reception at the Metropolitan Hotel on December 6," said Tiina Luoma-Aho, a member of the Finnish community, who coordinated SantaÆs visit together with Finnair and her friends, Sari Korjonen and Hanne Urho.

Finnish companies in Dubai and local companies in Finland have sponsored Santa ClausÆs trip to Dubai. Finnair is currently carrying about five Santa clauses to different countries.

Jorma Kauppinen, the General Manager of Finnair for Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and African affairs, said: "Santa Claus is a universal figure without religious or cultural bias."

All the proceeds from SantaÆs visit will go to charity. He has so far visited Japan, France, Germany and Switzerland, and is planning to go to Taiwan before Christmas.

The basis for the legend of Santa Claus was Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna, in what is now Turkey. Nicholas lived in the fourth century and was very rich, generous and loving toward children. He was known for bringing joy to poor children by throwing gifts though their windows.

Western poetry and illustrations show Santa Claus as a large, white-bearded, jolly man clad in red jacket and pompom-topped cap, sleighing down the snow with eight reindeer, climbing down chimneys and leaving gifts in stockings for children.