Lễ hội ông già Noel lướt sóng ở Florida

Thousands of people gathered on Cocoa Beach in Florida for the annual "Santa Claus Surfing" festival to raise money for charity.

While dozens of adults donned wetsuits and headed out to sea, others lay stretched out on the beach under a cloudy sky, sipping cocktails at an event at Cocoa Beach, Florida, on the morning of December 24th.

Santa Claus surfs to raise funds in Florida. — Santa Claus surfs on a Florida beach, USA, on December 24th. Video : *X/Mike DeForset*

Santa Clauses dressed in colorful costumes, and children dressed as elves or reindeer, attend the annual festival to raise funds for Grind for Life, a charity that helps cancer patients receive treatment and runs a local surfing museum.

Inside a tent, volunteers sold t-shirts and raffle tickets to raise funds. The program also included a costume contest and Hawaiian dance performances.

George Trosset, a local resident, came up with the "Santa Claus Surfing" initiative in 2009 after seeing a TV commercial showing people dressed as Santa Claus, taking their surfboards out of cars, and surfing in the ocean.

He went to a thrift store, bought a red jacket, altered it to resemble a Santa Claus costume, and then wore it while surfing. Trosset's son dressed up as an elf to accompany his father, while his three-year-old grandson watched from the shore. A local photographer captured the scene and published it in the newspaper.

"In the second year, we had 19 Santas. By the third year, we had 80. And now, look, there are thousands," said Trosset, 70. "I'm so happy to see how this little silly thing I did has grown to what it is today."

A Santa Claus surfing at Cocoa Beach on December 24th. Photo: X/Richard P Gallagher — A Santa Claus surfing at Cocoa Beach on December 24th. Photo: *X/Richard P Gallagher*

This is the second time Teresa Dell'Oglio-Garrett, from Italy, has attended the festival to enjoy the "joyful atmosphere and friendship." She recalls her first attendance in 2017, when there were only a few people, unlike the crowded scene at this year's event.

Trosset still couldn't understand why his prank with his son and grandson had turned into a festival. When hundreds of people started joining, he thought maybe something should be done, and the fundraising initiative was born.

"People tell me that we capture the attention of millions of people every year by having Santa Claus surf the social media," he said. "If that's true, it means we've brought millions of smiles every year. I'm incredibly touched."

Hong Hanh (According to AFP )

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