A fleet of bikers dressed as Santa Claus visited sick children in hospital in the eastern Polish city of Lublin on Sunday as the city's annual Christmas Festival got into gear.
Patient Lena Urban was pleased by the visit of the hundred or so bikers. "If you already have to lie here you simply sometimes get a bit sad" she said, saying it was nice to get some small presents and a change of routine.
Santa Claus' historical counterpart, Saint Nicholas, was also seen en masse in Lublin city centre as hundreds gathered for a procession wearing bishop's mitres, red coats and false beards.
Led by a horse-drawn carriage carrying an actor dressed as the saint, the parade finished in a square where a coordinated singalong took place.
Organisers estimate some 600 people took part, a record for the annual event.
Lublin's archbishop Stanislaw Budzik said he was pleased with the turnout, saying those who took part and wore the mitre were representing help and care for other human beings.
As night fell, people took photos of colourful Christmas lanterns hanging in the streets of Lublin's old town.
The city's festival lasts throughout the Christmas Period until January 13.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 International, Reuters