h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We have a traditional feast in The Netherlands in the eve of december 5th.
It is called "Sinterklaas-feest" and according to the story we make children to believe that he lives in Spain with his helpers, and he uses a boat to come to Holland and today in our "entire kingdom" hundreds Sinterklazen arrived on their white horses. And children are so eager to believe it all, that they all think that the one and only one has arrived today in theír town.
As result of his arrival children can place one of there shoes at the chimney, but most houses don't have one. Sinterklaas happens to travel always on his white horse at the roofs of the houses, you know!........

So the story will be changed here and there and kids can put a shoe in the supermarket or/and in their home at the inside door. Their fantasy will help them that everything is possible.

Parents often hire a Sinterklaas for the eve of dec.5th (his birthday)with some of his helpers and then he tells the children special things "he has heard about them" from his helpers.

I personally have really warm memories about it from my childhood and the times my own four daughters were very small. Now they are in their twenties, but every year they celebrate it, which is not unusual. Adults keep doing it in the same way as the children do it.

On such an evening, you can write an easy poem that describes some "shady things" of the person to whom it is directed, in combination with a gift. Ususally the gift is part of a surprise gift that first has to be openend and this all needs to have the same "message".

So we, Dutch people, are getting pretty mad in these days and I have injected my daughters só much with its virus, that the oldest (29) comes all the way from New York to celebrate it at the end of december, with her three sisters. The motivation is really from within.

For me it's nice to see that the magic of fantasy is passed from generation to generation.

For fantasy makes the world go round.

See a website from the Dutch T.V. "Sinterklaas Journaal".

http://www.omroep.nl/nps/sinterklaasjournaal/journaal_intocht.html

interesting...
In the U.S. We just got 'em either ringing a bell for donations sometimes or sitting at a 'station' in the malls/department stores mainly. There are always some exceptions though.

December 5?
then what do folks do on Dec. 24-25?

As you know, december 24 and 25, it's christmas and my grey cells
tell me that it was véry long time ago a germanic feast and christians turned it into christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Secularisation is high in Holland, but calvinistic roots remain somewhat present.
So it's become a very individual feast. Everybody creates his own christmas and it can be like any other sunday, or having a holiday in Spain, or sitting inside as prisoners in áll kinds of commercial christmas lumber, or the more spiritual contemplation, ór the more
conventional Christmas feast by going to church, etc.

The second christmas days is mainly used to visit family and enjoy
is around a table with plenty of food.
I prefer to be completely alone to survive these days.

Well, my English isn't that precise as I see my latest posting.
But, more important, here is a link where you can see "the arrival
of Sinterklaas", who is always dressed as a bishop with red clothes.

Historic, there was really a st.Nicolas, a christian bishop in Turkey,
who was popular because he gave so many gifts to the poor.


http://www.vriendenvansintnicolaas.nl/foto/alkmaar_2004/alkmaar_2004.htm

Actually it's an ongoing struggle. Santa Claus is nothing more than a clone from our original Dutch Sint Nicolaas. The last few years Santa Claus is trying to conquer the Netherlands. Pretty sad, if you think about it. We fight back by avoiding shops that display Xmas-stuff before Sint Nicolaas has left the country. Families with older children are getting weaker every year and tend to exchange gifts during Xmas and not during Sint Nicolaas (evening of December 5th). Disgusting, isn't it?

I've heard that in some Spanish speaking countries that they'll have three kings go around in some sort of parade handing out presents and candy, etc. instead. I suppose that there are different regional takes on this sort of thing.

Thanks. I was just curious, was all.

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What about that semi-druid; his solstice counterpart,- Father Christmas?