Not Santa Claus but Sinterklaas

As I told before I am a Dutchie. Born and raised in the Netherlands. Like any country we have some very special holidays that are typical for our country and that most people probably have never heard of. One very special tradition/ holiday in the Netherlands that is celebrated during the winter months is ‘Sinterklaas’.

You might have heard of it. Sinterklaas is a celebration that Dutch people celebrate on the 5th of December. Because of that, the unwritten rule is that you wait to pick up your Christmas tree until after the 5th op December. Sinterklaas is an old man that comes by the houses of Dutch citizens on this evening to bring kids presents if they have been good. Of course he is (like Santa Claus) not a real person but he is made up. Sinterklaas is very very very old. No one exactly knows his age but we think he will be around hundreds of years old as the celebration exists for centuries. He wears a miter and a big red cape with golden details. He also has a big white beard. Even his age does not make him less active as he climbs the roofs of all the Dutch households on his horse (Amigo) and with his hundreds of helps (zwarte pieten), to bring presents.

But not only on the 5th of December kids will get presents and sweets but also the days before that. Sinterklaas, his horse and the helping zwarte pieten mostly arrive from Spain to the Netherlands on the 3rd Saturday or Sunday before Sinterklaas evening. He arrives on his steamboat. His arrival always ensures a lot of visitors who are welcoming him and the zwarte pieten. The evenings between his arrival and the 5th of December, kids can put a shoe in front of the chimney. Most kids fill their shoe with a drawing, a carrot for the horse, some water and sometimes even a beer for the pieten (or Sinterklaas). The kids sing a song for Sinterklaas and go to sleep. At night Sinterklaas or one of his pieten climbs down the chimney, takes the drawing and as a return they put sweets (like pepernoten) or a chocolate letter (chocoladeletter) in the shoe. Some kids even get a small present in their shoe.

Sinterklaas of course has to know what the kids want for the 5th of December so the kids make a wish list and put it in their shoe. Sinterklaas puts all the wish lists in his big book. The big book has all the names of the Dutch children and concludes information about if the kids have been good or naughty this year. Bad kids will be taken to Spain in the present bag of Sinterklaas, is the fable.

On the 5th of December Sinterklaas and his pieten come to bring presents in a jute bag. The kids wait with their parents (and other family members) and sing to make sure Sinterklaas hears them and doesn’t forget to come by. Sometimes Sinterklaas comes through the chimney when the kids are in another room, or he comes and rings the bell and leaves the presents in a jute bag in front of the door.  At my home the bag was always put in front of the door and the tradition was that my grandmother sat on a chair and gives everyone their presents by calling the name on the package.

Sadly, I had to miss Sinterklaas this year. For me it is a very important holiday that I always celebrate with my family. This year me and my brother are abroad so that makes only my parents and my sister. On these days I miss my family but I am still happy to be here in München. Instead of celebrating Sinterklaas I went with my other Dutch friend to Dublin so we could still do something fun. Next week we will probably still celebrate it with some other friends and we will eat Sinterklaas snacks like pepernoten and marchpane.

When I came back from Dublin I found a little package on the kitchen table with my name on it. Sinterklaas came by after all!