Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, if you are in the Netherlands around holiday season, you will know who Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet are. It is an interesting experience to say the least. I had seen the holiday decorations in the mall and the lights on the streets, but it was not until two weeks ago when I saw this Sinterklaas festival. The streets are crowded with people and children alike waiting for this annual event...

Sinterklaas is Dutch version of the American Santa. Since being here, I have learned a lot about New York and its Dutch roots. Apparently, during the War of American Independence, the inhabitants of New York City (New Amsterdam), reinvented their Sinterklaas tradition as Saint Nicholas was a symbol of the city's non-English past. The Saint Nicholas society of New York still has a feast on December 6th to this day!

Sinterklaas wears a long red cape, a white bishop's dress, a red bishop's hat, and holds a crosier (a long gold colored staff with a fancy curled top). He carries a book to determine whether children have been naughty or nice and traditionally rides a white horse.

Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) is Sinterklaas's helper. The story behind this beyond interesting character goes something like this: three small Moorish boys were sentenced to death for a crime they did not commit. The bishop intervened and to show their thanks they stayed with Sinterklaas. Why is he black? Good question. My research has shown that there are some reasons: he is Moorish, he does the job of a chimney sweep, he is the devil that was enslaved by Sinterklaas, and the most modern explanation told to children is that he works voluntarily for Sinterklaas and they learn their trade at a special school in Spain.

Traditionally there was only one Zwarte Piet, but the Canadians introduced the first multiple Piet idea after the post WWII Sinterklaas celebration. Obviously this multiple Peit idea is still going very strong! Zwarte Piet usually carries a bag with candy for the "nice" children and "roe" a bunch of willow branches to spank "naughty" children.

Last weekend I went to the mall, I got to experience Zwarte Piet's in action:

they dance

they do acrobatics

they like attention

they play in a band

Sinterklaas arrives in the middle of November by steamboat from Spain. Children await his arrival and then he is paraded through the streets. I am eager to see what will happen this Saturday when I get to experience my first Sinterklaas eve. That's all folks.