Santa’s starting point in Kyrgyzstan becomes official

iStockphoto.com Earlier this month, Passport noted that a Swedish consulting firm had calculated that Santa Claus should begin his worldwide toy-delivery journey in the mountains of northern Kyrgyzstan—at latitude (N) 40.40°, longitude (E) 74.24°, to be exact—to maximize efficiency of distribution and minimize strain on his reindeer. Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have become quite excited by the ...

597445_071221_christmas_05.jpg
597445_071221_christmas_05.jpg

iStockphoto.com

iStockphoto.com

Earlier this month, Passport noted that a Swedish consulting firm had calculated that Santa Claus should begin his worldwide toy-delivery journey in the mountains of northern Kyrgyzstan—at latitude (N) 40.40°, longitude (E) 74.24°, to be exact—to maximize efficiency of distribution and minimize strain on his reindeer.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have become quite excited by the prospect that Father Christmas might be relocating from the North Pole (now claimed by the Russians anyway) to their Central Asia country. They’re apparently so excited that they’ve decided to name one of their many unnamed peaks “Mount Santa Claus.” A group of mountain climbers is scaling the lucky peak, and on Christmas Eve, in an official ceremony at the summit, it will bury a capsule containing the Kyrgyz flag.

Why would a former Soviet country that’s 75 percent Muslim be so embracing of Saint Nicholas? Answer: It’s a way to promote tourism to the isolated, but beautifully mountainous, country. An international Santa Claus conference is already being organized for the summer. Maybe it’s time to repaint Santa’s mailbox.

Preeti Aroon was copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009 to 2016 and was an FP assistant editor from 2007 to 2009. Twitter: @pjaroonFP

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