Sinterklaas
An other imaginary world ;-))
This "art-work", made by a teacher of an elementary school, is composed of several layers of colorful translucent paper, except for the two drawn figures.
Sticked to a window and the daylight or sun, if you are lucky, will revel this wonderful scene, where the 'Zwarte Piet' ("Black Pete") is looking out of the window or practicing how to clim through the chimney.
I think a lot of people will celebrate this evening 'Pakjesavond' ("gifts evening", or literally "packages evening") or Sinterklaasavond ("Sinterklaas evening"). So if you do, enjoy it and have fun ;-))
Here below some information from WiKi about this phenomenon "Sinterklaas" and "Pakjesavond".
"The festivities traditionally begin each year in mid-November (the first Saturday after 11 November), when Sinterklaas "arrives" by a steamboat at a designated seaside town, supposedly from Spain.
'Sinterklaas' is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children.
The feast of Sinterklaas celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December. The feast is celebrated annually with the giving of gifts on St. Nicholas' Eve (5 December) in the Netherlands.
Sinterklaas is assisted by many 'Zwarte Piet' ("Black Pete"), helpers with black faces in colorful Moorish dress.
Traditionally Zwarte Piet's face is said to be black because he is a Moor from Spain. Today, some prefer to say that his face is blackened with soot because he has to climb through chimneys to deliver gifts for Sinterklaas.
The figure of Zwarte Piet is considered by some to be racist. Accordingly, the traditions surrounding the holiday of Sinterklaas have been the subject of numerous editorials, debates, documentaries, protests and even violent clashes at festivals.
Some large cities and television channels now only display Zwarte Piet characters with some soot marks on the face rather than full blackface, so-called 'roetveegpieten' or 'schoorsteenpieten' ("chimney Petes").
Nevertheless, both Zwarte Piet and the holiday remain popular in the Netherlands.
In a 2013 survey, 92% of the Dutch public did not perceive 'Zwarte Pie't as racist or associate him with slavery, and 91% were opposed to altering the character's appearance.
In a similar survey in 2018, 88% of the Dutch public did not perceive 'Zwarte Piet' as racist, and 54% were happy with the character's modernized appearance (a mix of roetveegpieten and blackface).
On the evening of 5 December, parents, family, friends or acquaintences pretend to act on behalf of "Sinterklaas", or his helpers, and fool the children into thinking that "Sinterklaas" has really given them presents. This may be done through a note that is "found", explaining where the presents are hidden, as though Zwarte Piet visited them and left a burlap sack of presents with them. Sometimes a neighbor will knock on the door (pretending to be a Zwarte Piet) and leave the sack outside for the children to retrieve; this varies per family. When the presents arrive, the living room is decked out with them, much as on Christmas Day in English-speaking countries. On 6 December "Sinterklaas" departs without any ado, and all festivities are over.
In the Southern Netherlands and Belgium, most children have to wait until the morning of 6 December to receive their gifts, and 'Sinterklaas' is seen as a festivity almost exclusively for children. The shoes are filled with a poem or wish list for 'Sinterklaas' and carrots, hay or sugar cubes for the horse on the evening of the fifth and in Belgium often a bottle of beer for Zwarte Piet and a cup of coffee for Sinterklaas are placed next to them. Also in some areas, when it is time for children to give up their pacifier, they place it into his or her shoe ("safekeeping by Sinterklaas") and it is replaced with chocolate the next morning.
The present is often creatively disguised by being packaged in a humorous, unusual or personalised way. This is called a surprise (from the French ).
Poems from Sinterklaas usually accompany gifts, bearing a personal message for the receiver. It is usually a humorous poem which often teases the recipient for well-known bad habits or other character deficiencies."- WiKi
Sinterklaas
An other imaginary world ;-))
This "art-work", made by a teacher of an elementary school, is composed of several layers of colorful translucent paper, except for the two drawn figures.
Sticked to a window and the daylight or sun, if you are lucky, will revel this wonderful scene, where the 'Zwarte Piet' ("Black Pete") is looking out of the window or practicing how to clim through the chimney.
I think a lot of people will celebrate this evening 'Pakjesavond' ("gifts evening", or literally "packages evening") or Sinterklaasavond ("Sinterklaas evening"). So if you do, enjoy it and have fun ;-))
Here below some information from WiKi about this phenomenon "Sinterklaas" and "Pakjesavond".
"The festivities traditionally begin each year in mid-November (the first Saturday after 11 November), when Sinterklaas "arrives" by a steamboat at a designated seaside town, supposedly from Spain.
'Sinterklaas' is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children.
The feast of Sinterklaas celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December. The feast is celebrated annually with the giving of gifts on St. Nicholas' Eve (5 December) in the Netherlands.
Sinterklaas is assisted by many 'Zwarte Piet' ("Black Pete"), helpers with black faces in colorful Moorish dress.
Traditionally Zwarte Piet's face is said to be black because he is a Moor from Spain. Today, some prefer to say that his face is blackened with soot because he has to climb through chimneys to deliver gifts for Sinterklaas.
The figure of Zwarte Piet is considered by some to be racist. Accordingly, the traditions surrounding the holiday of Sinterklaas have been the subject of numerous editorials, debates, documentaries, protests and even violent clashes at festivals.
Some large cities and television channels now only display Zwarte Piet characters with some soot marks on the face rather than full blackface, so-called 'roetveegpieten' or 'schoorsteenpieten' ("chimney Petes").
Nevertheless, both Zwarte Piet and the holiday remain popular in the Netherlands.
In a 2013 survey, 92% of the Dutch public did not perceive 'Zwarte Pie't as racist or associate him with slavery, and 91% were opposed to altering the character's appearance.
In a similar survey in 2018, 88% of the Dutch public did not perceive 'Zwarte Piet' as racist, and 54% were happy with the character's modernized appearance (a mix of roetveegpieten and blackface).
On the evening of 5 December, parents, family, friends or acquaintences pretend to act on behalf of "Sinterklaas", or his helpers, and fool the children into thinking that "Sinterklaas" has really given them presents. This may be done through a note that is "found", explaining where the presents are hidden, as though Zwarte Piet visited them and left a burlap sack of presents with them. Sometimes a neighbor will knock on the door (pretending to be a Zwarte Piet) and leave the sack outside for the children to retrieve; this varies per family. When the presents arrive, the living room is decked out with them, much as on Christmas Day in English-speaking countries. On 6 December "Sinterklaas" departs without any ado, and all festivities are over.
In the Southern Netherlands and Belgium, most children have to wait until the morning of 6 December to receive their gifts, and 'Sinterklaas' is seen as a festivity almost exclusively for children. The shoes are filled with a poem or wish list for 'Sinterklaas' and carrots, hay or sugar cubes for the horse on the evening of the fifth and in Belgium often a bottle of beer for Zwarte Piet and a cup of coffee for Sinterklaas are placed next to them. Also in some areas, when it is time for children to give up their pacifier, they place it into his or her shoe ("safekeeping by Sinterklaas") and it is replaced with chocolate the next morning.
The present is often creatively disguised by being packaged in a humorous, unusual or personalised way. This is called a surprise (from the French ).
Poems from Sinterklaas usually accompany gifts, bearing a personal message for the receiver. It is usually a humorous poem which often teases the recipient for well-known bad habits or other character deficiencies."- WiKi