Domingo Correa reviews with his granddaughter the wardrobe they will wear in the coming days, if they let them settle in for the traditional photography with Santa Claus, in the Alameda or some nearby area.
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Domingo was one of the first to start this tradition in Mexico City.
“The first year I arrived was in 1961, I was dressed as Santa Claus, from there I began to collect my pennies for the suits, we went in the morning to the markets and at night to Alameda Central, on Avenida Juárez” , He said Domingo Correa, photographer of Santa Claus.
They are around 41 families, who for years have made this tradition a way of generating resources every end of the year.
Last year due to the pandemic they were not installed, which generated economic losses.
They are the grandparents, the children, the grandchildren; the whole family participates.
“The gentleman, the lady, the children participate, we are all part of making the stage work, some portray, charge, others print, the women in the house are in charge of making the costumes, the crowns, the men are dedicated to making the blacksmithing, fiberglass ”, reiterated Daniel Miranda, representative of the Union of 5-minute Photographers.
At[person]’s house the Hernández family, in Iztapalapa, almost finished the sled and they are repainting the reindeer that their grandparents gave them about 20 years ago.
“I have been with my wife for seven years, his grandfather was one of the first to start this whole business, since I met her, in this medium, we continue,” added César Hernández, who participates in the Santa Claus pilgrimage.
The changing rooms are inherited.
Sometimes They have to hire the one who dresses as Santa Claus, but the role almost always remains in the family.
“A grandson dresses up, he is tall and chubby, he dresses up just now that he is leaving school and I have another Santa Claus, he is chubby, his name is Andrés, he also dresses up, Santa Claus is even easier, because he is one, The difficult thing is the three Wise Men, looking for a half-blonde one to be Melchor, Gaspar, well, a dark one ”, explained Domingo Correa, Santa Claus photographer.
They are members of the Union of 5 Minute Photographers, there is no more, they say.
This tradition started in the Alameda, continued in 2002 in Avenida Hidalgo, then in the Monument to the Revolution, this year it is still not known where they will install them, they have already had meetings with the authorities of the Government of Mexico City.
“We are just waiting for the place to settle, because it is easy to say yes, the large number of people who visit us is the problem, they cannot tell us to stay here just because we are closing roads, because the Metro, Metrobús are not enough So they do have to be careful ”, concluded Daniel Miranda, representative of the Union of 5-minute Photographers.
They say that They will abide by all the recommendations, they will use a face mask, although a healthy distance will hardly be achieved.
With information from Guadalupe Madrigal
KAH
