Of those countries in Africa and the Middle East that celebrate Christmas, Papá Noel is the most common name for Santa Claus. In South Africa Sinterklaas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus are also used.
Santa goes by a few names in South Africa, including Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) and Kersvader (Father Christmas) for those who speak Afrikaans.
It's so much more than a 'black Christmas' In 1966, the African American Maulana Karenga created the holiday of Kwanzaa to give black people an “opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history” rather than indulge in the customary traditions of a white Christmas.
Santa isn't a continent-wide African Christmas tradition. Some countries just don't believe in a red-suited jolly man arriving on his sleigh to leave presents for the kids.
In Afrikaans (one the languages spoken in South Africa) Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Geseënde Kersfees'; in Zulu it's 'UKhisimusi omuhle', in Sesotho it's 'Le be le keresemese e monate' and in Xhosa it's 'Krismesi emnandi'.
In Egypt, Santa Claus is called Baba Noel, which means Father Christmas.
Most Egyptians speak Egyptian Arabic. In Arabic Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Eid Milad Majid' (عيد ميلاد مجيد) which means 'Glorious Birth Feast'. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages. 'Christmas' in Arabic is 'eid almilad' (عيد الميلاد).
Of Sleighs and Reindeer
So Santa had to find a more African way of getting about. In Kenya it's said he cruises over the potholes in a pimped-up 4x4 safari jeep. Elsewhere he might bring the presents by horseback or even on a camel.
Santa is known as 'Sheng dan Lao ren' in Mandarin, which translates as 'Christmas Old Man', and he is seen as a non-religious figure who lives in a fairytale Arctic Christmas Village in China's North Pole.
What is Santa Claus called in Australia? Some call him Father Christmas and then others will address him as Santa. Australia has always had a very close cultural association with traditions thought to be very British.
Unlike the bloated, red-coated father Christmas of the West, Russia's Santa Claus, known as Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), is slender with a wizard-like flowing beard and he wears a long robe that comes in different colors, such as blue and white.
On Christmas Day
Many natives attend Church services on Christmas morning. Like many other African countries, South Africans often eat either chicken, roast beef, turkey, or suckling pig with yellow raisins & rice and vegetable on Xmas day.
What does Africa do for Christmas? Christmas dinner is a key part of the festive ritual in Africa. In most countries, Christmas is a public holiday and people make the most of the opportunity to visit family and friends. In East Africa, goats are purchased at the local market for roasting on Christmas Day.
In the Māori language, Santa Claus is called Hana Kōkō! One popular present for Christmas in New Zealand are 'jandals'.
The children in Australia believe in Santa Claus. However, since it is summer, it would not be unusual to see Santa dressed in a lighter, cooler version of his red and white suit. Shorts can even be seen! Santa does use reindeer to pull his sleigh when delivering gifts to children in Australia.
In Kenya, Santa is called “Father Christmas.” His story is the same as in other parts of the world, and he looks very similar to the Santa Claus who visits children in North America and Europe, with a full white beard and a red velvet suit trimmed in white fur.
In Japan Santa is known as サンタさん、サンタクロース / Santa-san (Mr Santa) or サンタクロース / Santa-Kurosu (Santa Claus). (Another Japanese gift bringer is Hoteiosho, a Japanese god of good fortune from Buddhism. But he is NOT related to Christmas.)
In Hong Kong, /Santa is most commonly called Santa Claus or Father Christmas. In Cantonese he is known as "Sing Daan Lou Yan" (Christmas Old Man) although most people use English to refer to him.
Santa is called 'Old Man of Christmas' here and is accompanied by two female elves in performances. Some even have music plays with traditional Chinese instruments! Interestingly, China is also the world's largest exporter of Christmas decorations.
By all accounts, his story begins in the fourth century AD in what is now modern-day Turkey.
According to NORAD, Santa's route typically starts around the South Pacific first and then makes his way to New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Asia, Africa, Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America.
Yoruba: “E ku odun, e ku iye'dun'” Fulani: “Jabbama be salla Kirismati'” Igbo: “E keresimesi Oma” Ibibio: “Idara ukapade isua”
He's known as 'Christmas Baba' in Hindi, 'Baba Christmas' in Urdu (both of those mean Father Christmas); 'Christmas Thaathaa' in Tamil and 'Christmas Thatha' in Telugu (both of those mean Christmas old man); and 'Natal Bua' (Christmas Elder Man) in Marathi. In Kerala state, he's known as 'Christmas Papa'.
Outside of India, Diwali is colloquially referred to as "Indian Christmas." It also marks the start of Hindu new year—no different than a calendar reset one week after Christmas in the western world.
Christmas is 'Nollaig' in Irish.