一天500歐元無人扮演 德國鬧聖誕老人荒

Christmas in Germany could be less delightful as many regions are suffering a severe shortage of Santas, according to recruitment agencies.

據招聘中介透露，德國許多地區正面臨嚴重的聖誕老人短缺，恐將減弱聖誕節的歡樂氛圍。

The Berlin Santa Claus Office, which typically receives about 2,500 bookings per year, now has fewer than 200 Santas on its books, down from 500, one of the agency's employees, Petra Henkert, told German local media Der Tagesspiegel.

柏林聖誕老人辦公室通常每年能收到約2500個訂單，但其員工佩特拉·赫克特近日向德國媒體《每日鏡報》表示，如今該機構名冊上的聖誕老人已從500名減少至不足200名。

"We are suffering a Santa drought," Henkert said.

赫克特表示：“我們正在鬧聖誕老人荒。”

A student services organization in Berlin has already stopped its recruitment of Santas due to lack of candidates, it said in a statement released on the internet.

柏林一家學生服務組織在網上發佈聲明稱，由於缺少應聘者，已停止招聘聖誕老人。

Santas in Germany are often hired by families to recite festive poems, stories and songs. The role has traditionally been considered a nice source of income for students.

在德國，家庭通常會僱傭聖誕老人背誦節日詩歌、講故事或唱歌。這一角色傳統上被認爲是學生們不錯的收入來源。

An elite Santa could usually earn 100 euros per visit and up to 500 euros per day.

一名優秀的聖誕老人單次出場費通常達100歐元，一天最多能掙500歐元。

The shortage, "particularly severe in eastern German states such as Saxony and Brandenburg, has been caused by long hours of study, the busy lives of modern students and a decline in the Christian faith," according to Britain's The Times.

英國《泰晤士報》稱，聖誕老人荒是由長時間的學習、當代學生繁忙的生活以及基督教信仰衰落造成的，聖誕老人荒現象在薩克森州、勃蘭登堡州等德國東部州尤其嚴重。