 | | Peruvian female traffic police roar along on their motorcycle wearing Santa gear during a rally in Lima [Reuters] |
Move over Rudolph①. Santa has taken to the streets of Lima on a Harley Davidson.
Passers-by stared as a team of Peru's mostly female traffic police -- best known for refusing to take bribes -- roared along on their bikes wearing red hats, false beards and fur trimmings on their knee-high boots.``We're trying to spread a bit of optimism, that's what Christmas is all about,'' Hector Dulanto, head of the traffic police, told reporters, as his Santas set out to distribute sweets to children at a local church. They are taking candies and toys to schools and community centers across Lima every day until the end of December. ``The children are a bit afraid of us. This is a way of getting closer to them,'' said one Santa, Patricia Montalban, as she parked her tinsel-trimmed Harley Davidson. ①The name for one of the nine reindeers who pull Santa Clause's sleigh. (Agencies) | 圣誕節將至，一群圣誕老人騎著他們的坐騎奔馳在秘魯首都利馬的大街上。不過，今年圣誕老人的坐騎可不是由馴鹿魯道夫拉著的雪橇，而是摩登十足的哈利-戴維森摩托。 街上的行人紛紛駐足觀看這支"圣誕老人車隊"。實際上，這是秘魯的一支交通巡警隊，其大部分成員都是女性，這支隊伍素以廉潔而聞名。圣誕期間，她們頭戴紅帽子，貼上假胡子，用白色皮毛裝飾及膝的高統靴，拌成圣誕老人的樣子，騎著摩托車執行巡邏任務。 "圣誕巡警"們正準備出發去當地一個教堂向孩子們分發糖果。交通隊長埃克托爾·杜蘭托告訴記者說："我們這樣做是為了營造一種樂觀的氣氛，而這也正是圣誕節的實質所在。"  這些"圣誕老人"每天都會為全利馬市的學校和社區中心的孩子們送去糖果和玩具，這項活動將維持到12月底。
一名名叫帕特里夏·蒙塔爾班的"圣誕女巡警"一邊停靠她裝飾一新的哈利-戴維森摩托車，一邊對記者說道："孩子們都有點害怕警察，這是一種拉近我們和孩子們之間距離的好辦法。" (中國日報網站譯) |
Updated: 2001-12-21 01:00
