Santa Yells "Kavalame" in 'Red One' at His Reindeer, but What Does It Mean?

Christmas just got a little more exciting (and nerve-wracking) with Amazon MGM Studios’s Red One, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Lucy Liu, and Chris Evans. The film follows The Rock as Callum Drift, an elite member of the North Pole Security team, who teams up with notorious bounty hunter Jack O'Malley (played by Chris Evans) to rescue Santa Claus aka "Red One."

Santa’s been kidnapped, and they need to save him so presents can magically appear under Christmas trees worldwide.

Red One hit theaters on Nov. 15, 2024, and debuted for streaming on Amazon on Dec. 12. At one point during the movie, you might have wondered why Santa yells "Kavalame" to call his reindeer. Since this doesn’t match the usual jolly command Santa uses to round up his trusty sleigh-pullers, we think we’ve uncovered the meaning behind it.

The word "Kavalame" that Santa calls out to his reindeer in Red One might sound like it belongs to a made-up language — and that’s because it just might be. During the film's climactic showdown, as good and evil collide, Santa, who is unconscious, begins to regain his strength just enough to shout "Kavalame" to his reindeer. In response, the reindeer attacks Gryla, sending her tumbling into a magical snow globe where she will remain trapped forever.

When Santa calls out "kavalame" to his reindeer, prompting them to take action, one Redditor suggested it might mean "ahead at full force."

Essentially, the writers may have included the word "kavalame" as a way for Santa to summon his reindeer for help or assistance. While there isn’t a literal translation for "kavalame," we've pieced together a possible reason why the writers chose to include it in Santa's lines.

Kavala is a city in Greece and seems to be the root word for "kavalame." Santa's history also ties back to Greece and Turkey. St. Nicholas, born around A.D. 280 in Patara (near Myra, now modern-day Turkey), inspired the legend of Santa Claus, according to History.

Known for using his wealth to help the poor and sick, he earned the title "protector of children and sailors." One popular story is that he saved three sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by setting them each up with dowries so they could be married off instead. Talk about being a stand-up guy!

So, how does all of this tie in with the word "kavalame" that Santa yells? Well, perhaps the writers of Red One wanted to connect a word closely related to Santa's roots. By using the name of a historically rich city in Greece — Kavala, which is widely known as one of the more important cities — they could be giving a subtle nod to Santa's origins.

With Redditor @Long_Competition_372 suggesting the word has Greek ties, others agreed that the translation meaning "ahead at full force" makes sense. After all, as Redditor @No_Temperature_8662 pointed out, "They literally call him out as Saint Nicholas of Myra in the movie."