Dutch Christmas
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Although the December 25th Christmas celebration is slowly becoming more popular in Holland, the traditional festival is a little different. Instead of the American-style Santa Claus with his sleigh and presents, Dutch children await the arrival of Sinterklaas on December 5th. Sinterklaas lives in Spain with his assistant Swaart Piet (Black Peter), and comes to Holland by steamboat. Children leave their shoes out by the fireplace, often with a letter for Sinterklaas and a carrot for his horse, and Sinterklaas or one of his helpers will sneak in and leave a small present. The presents are traditionally not of great value; often they are chocolates or biscuits formed into the letters of the child's name.
Often Sinterklaas and Piet are too busy to arrive in person, but then the neighbours are drafted in to help, tapping on windows and then showering the children with handfuls of the cinammon biscuits known as peppernuts.
Of course, throughout the year Sinterklaas has been recording all the deeds of all the children in a great book. If they have been too naughty, he packs them into a big brown bag and takes them away to Spain. (Doesn't sound too bad, does it? But back in Holland's slave-trading days, it was the Moors who were the bad guys that parents scared their children with. This is also why Piet is black).
Sinterklaasfeest is not just for children. When the kids have all been put to bed (or taken to Spain!), all the adults put their names into a hat and everybody draws one out. Each person then gives their target a small gift, and, usually amid much hilarity, composes a short poem about them.
Many Dutch people of all ages are saddened that over the last decade their happy little Sinterklaas festival has been overshadowed by the foreign idea of Christmas, with it's rapacious commercialism and glitzy trappings. However, with typical Dutch pragmatism, they usually just get on and celebrate both of them.
Often Sinterklaas and Piet are too busy to arrive in person, but then the neighbours are drafted in to help, tapping on windows and then showering the children with handfuls of the cinammon biscuits known as peppernuts.
Of course, throughout the year Sinterklaas has been recording all the deeds of all the children in a great book. If they have been too naughty, he packs them into a big brown bag and takes them away to Spain. (Doesn't sound too bad, does it? But back in Holland's slave-trading days, it was the Moors who were the bad guys that parents scared their children with. This is also why Piet is black).
Sinterklaasfeest is not just for children. When the kids have all been put to bed (or taken to Spain!), all the adults put their names into a hat and everybody draws one out. Each person then gives their target a small gift, and, usually amid much hilarity, composes a short poem about them.
Many Dutch people of all ages are saddened that over the last decade their happy little Sinterklaas festival has been overshadowed by the foreign idea of Christmas, with it's rapacious commercialism and glitzy trappings. However, with typical Dutch pragmatism, they usually just get on and celebrate both of them.
