Austria. Is Santa's visit obligatory? Authorities with “misunderstood” tolerance

The website of the daily “Kronen Zeitung” reported on Tuesday that meetings with Santa Claus were included in the preschool education program in the federal state of Lower Austria. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP – Österreichische Volkspartei) is behind the initiative. It commissioned a survey showing that 80 percent of respondents in Lower Austria believe that cultivating customs and traditions is important, reports the Austrian website ORF.

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– In recent years, we have noticed that Santa Claus has been banned in some kindergartens due to a misunderstood sense of tolerance, said Johanna Mikl-Leitner, provincial governor of Lower Austria and leader of the ÖVP in this region, quoted by local media on Wednesday , after meeting children and Santa Claus in one of the kindergartens. – But I think this is a bad approach. We want peaceful coexistence, regardless of people's religion and origin, she added.

On Friday, the head of the ÖVP in Lower Austria posted a photo with Santa Claus on social media on this occasion. In his description, she emphasized that the saint “is a good man because he teaches our children values ​​​​such as kindness, helpfulness and energy.” As she emphasized, these are values ​​”deeply rooted” in Lower Austria.

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According to the ENEX agency, in recent years some local kindergartens “time and again” prevented Santa's visit because of people of other faiths and non-believers. This step was taken last year by, among others, kindergarten in the district of Tulln in Lower Austria, the agency reminds. He adds that finally, after parents' protests, Santa Claus visited the local preschoolers.