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Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet left me a milk chocolate B and a limerick in my boot at the Sinterklass party on Monday!
The arrival of Sinterklaas & Zwarte Pieten, opening the festive days leading up to Boxing Day, Sint's birthday, on 05Dec.
The arrival of Sinterklaas & Zwarte Pieten, opening the festive days leading up to Boxing Day, Sint's birthday, on 05Dec.
In the Netherlands we have this guy, Sinterklaas/Sint Nicolaas, who arrived at the first day of december, and celebrated his birthday on the 5th.
Being a saint, he has a holiday, and he spends his birthday giving presents to the children who have been good. The 5 days before it all the children set their shoes by the fireplace, often with a carrot for Sint's horse (who works very hard).
Then, in the dead of night, Sint and his helper, black Pete, will arrive on the roof of the child's house (by horseback), and black Pete will go down the chimney, becoming even blacker in the process, and he'll pick up the carrot for the horse and leave some candy or a small present in return.
Here in the Netherlands Sinterklaas is a more popular figure than Santa, though they become oddly similar in their naming the further back you go.
My Norwegian friend couldn't understand why we endorsed an old geezer giving candy to our children while keeping a back slave around.
I suppose he had a point.
Sinterklaas stories got tuned down over the ages. According to one version black Pete was a named devil.
What bothers me about the whole Sinterklaas thing is that the stores are staring two MONTHS in advance now.