UK - Santarchy - SantaCon - Posing Santas

Various bawdy Santas occupy a lion at Trafalgar Square many of them taking photographs during the London SantaCon event. SantaCon is a mass gathering of people dressed in cheap Santa Claus costumes, which now happens in many different cities around the world in the weeks before Christmas. These events are seen as a way of celebrating the Yule season in a distinctly anti-commercial manner, by mixing guerrilla street theatre, pranksterism, and public intoxication. They are noted for bawdy and harmless behavior, including the singing of naughty Christmas carols, and the giving of small gifts to the public. It is also known as Santarchy, Santa Rampage, the Red Menace and Santapalooza. Some participants see SantaCon as a postmodern revival of Saturnalia, while others see the event as a precursor of the flash mob. (Photo by Gideon Mendel/Corbis via Getty Images)