All over the world Christmas has incorporated local, pre-Christian beliefs. In Monrovia, the dancing devil called Old Man Bayka, or “Old Man Beggar”, is a holiday fixture.
Unlike Santa Claus, who gives presents, Old Man Bayka goes from house to house asking for money and gifts. Instead of shiny boots and a red jacket trimmed with white fur, Old Man Bayka wears old clothes as part of his appeal to share prosperity with the less fortunate in the community.
