In the Netherlands, St. Nicholas arrives in Amsterdam from
Spain by ship three weeks before his feast day. He leads a
parade to the city's main square, where he is greeted by the
royal family and talks over the children's behavior during the
year with the mayor. Zwarte Piet, or "Black Peter,"
accompanies him. This stern character carries a big red book, in
which reports on the children are kept, and he is said to carry
birch rods to punish the bad children and even to stuff the
naughtiest into his bag to be carried back to Spain for
punishment.
St. Nicholas Eve is greeted with festive family dinners,
after which Sinterklaas himself often makes a personal
appearance. He may toss candies and toys through the door, or
come in with Zwarte Piet to give a mock lecture on good behavior
and to open his bag of sweets to the children.
Later that night, Nicholas takes to the skies on a white
horse, on which he is said to jump from roof to roof and down
the chimney of each house. There he finds children's shoes or
baskets filled with hay for his horse. He exchanges the hay for
candy and toys and gold chocolate coins. Early on the morning of
the sixth, children awake to search eagerly for their baskets
(which Sinterklaas takes delight in hiding) and to enjoy the
treasures the good saint has left.
For families with older children and adults, different twists
are added to the gift giving and may include gag gifts or the
drawing of gift ideas or names, and most times are accompanied
by poems with a "personal touch" that poke fun at the
recipient in a gentle way (or not, depending on the families ;)
. Wrapping the presents up in odd packages and planting a trail
of clues is also part of the general fun, and can sometimes be
pretty tricky to get to, depending on the squeamishness of the
recipients.
Early Dutch settlers in America brought their beloved
Sinterklaas with them, where he eventually evolved into the
cultural (rather than Christian) symbol we know today. Reviving
the festival of St. Nicholas on December 6 may be one way to
retain the fun and generosity of gift-giving without eclipsing
the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day.
St.
Nicholas Day Christmas
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