Brazil: Santa Claus School celebrates graduation at Christ the Redeemer

Christmas came early to Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, when 55 graduates of the Escola de Papai Noel do Brasil gathered beneath Christ the Redeemer to mark the end of their training. Dressed in red suits and white beards, the new Santas sang carols as they rode the Corcovado mountain railway to the statue, then climbed the final steps for a ceremony that included a blessing and the presentation of diplomas.

The free course, open to men aged 50 and over with naturally white or grey hair and beards, runs for a month of Tuesday afternoon classes covering acting, improvisation, diction, posture, make-up, costume and beard care, plus Brazilian Sign Language. It was founded in 1993 by the actors Limachem Cherem and Conrado Freitas, with the costume designer Fátima Tavares Cherem, in the basement of Cherem's house in Vila Isabel.

More than 1,000 Santas have passed through the school in 33 years, along with about 300 Noeletes, its female equivalent. Many graduates are retirees earning extra income at shopping centres, hospitals and parties; some, such as the lorry driver Marinezio Teixeira de Oliveira, come back for a second certificate.