by Ava, age 8 from Tulsa, asks Baba Noel about Christmas customs across Persia and Arabia, and gets warm, honest answers back.
A Letter to Baba Noel from Ava in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Dear Baba Noel, my name is Ava and I am eight years old. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and my class just finished a unit on the Middle East, so I have a lot of questions for you. Here is everything I want to know:
- Do children write letters to you, or do they make wishes in a different way?
- Do you bring the same toys and presents as the American Santa Claus?
- Do you come on Christmas Eve like my Santa, or do you visit on a different night?
- Do you have elves helping you, or do you work alone?
- Do you have reindeer like Santa, or do you travel by camel or another way?
- Do you speak Arabic and Persian, or do you understand every language in the world?
- Do you visit every house in Persia and Arabia, or only the ones that celebrate Christmas?
- Does your name mean Father Christmas in Arabic and Persian, and does that mean you are a dad?
- Is your outfit the same red suit, or do you wear a robe or turban?
- What do children in Persia and Arabic countries leave out for you?
- Geography: What large desert covers most of the Arabian Peninsula?
- Social Studies: Why do only some families in Middle Eastern countries celebrate Christmas?
Love, Ava
Baba Noel Writes Back
Do children write letters to you, or do they make wishes in a different way?
Many children in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt do write me letters, Ava, just like you. Some tuck their notes under a lit candle in the window, and others whisper their wishes to grandparents, who pass the message along in prayer. However the wish travels, I always get it.
Do you bring the same toys and presents as the American Santa Claus?
I bring much of the same excitement, dolls, footballs, art sets, and the newest gadgets kids are asking for, but I also love tucking in small treasures tied to home, like sweet dates, pistachios, or a little cross for a child’s necklace.
Do you come on Christmas Eve like my Santa, or do you visit on a different night?
Most families I visit celebrate on Christmas Eve, just like your Santa. Some Orthodox Christian families in the region follow the older Julian calendar and celebrate on January 6th or 7th, so I actually get two big delivery nights in some years.
Do you have elves helping you, or do you work alone?
I have helpers, though mine look a little different from pointy hatted elves. Mine are more like cheerful cousins and neighbors who help wrap gifts and bake sweets in the weeks before Christmas.
Do you have reindeer like Santa, or do you travel by camel or another way?
Between us, Ava, reindeer would have a rough time in the desert heat. I keep a sleigh for the snowy mountain villages in Lebanon, but for the sandy stretches of Arabia I switch to a very fast, very patient camel named Zahra.
Do you speak Arabic and Persian, or do you understand every language in the world?
I speak Arabic and Persian fluently, and honestly I pick up a little bit of every language I hear, because listening carefully to children is my favorite part of the job.
Do you visit every house in Persia and Arabia, or only the ones that celebrate Christmas?
I focus my visits on homes that celebrate Christmas, which in this region are mostly Christian families, though I always leave a little something for any child who has been especially kind that year, no matter what they celebrate.
Does your name mean Father Christmas in Arabic and Persian, and does that mean you are a dad?
You have sharp ears, Ava. Baba does mean father, but think of it more like a grandfather to every child, the way you might call a kind old family friend Uncle even if he is not really your uncle.
Is your outfit the same red suit, or do you wear a robe or turban?
I mix it up. In the cities I might wear a red coat like your Santa, but in mountain villages I often wear a warm woven robe, and yes, sometimes a turban to keep the wind off my ears.
What do children in Persia and Arabic countries leave out for you?
Dates, baklava, and small cups of strong coffee or mint tea are common. I have quite the sweet tooth, so I never complain.
Geography: What large desert covers most of the Arabian Peninsula?
Good question for your geography homework. The Arabian Desert covers most of the peninsula, and its driest, emptiest corner is called the Rub’ al Khali, or the Empty Quarter, one of the largest sand deserts on Earth.
Social Studies: Why do only some families in Middle Eastern countries celebrate Christmas?
Christianity has existed in this region since its very beginning, long before it spread to Europe, but most people in the Middle East today are Muslim. Christian communities are a smaller but very old and proud part of the population, especially in Lebanon, Egypt, and parts of Iraq and Syria, so Christmas is celebrated by those families and often welcomed warmly by their neighbors too.
