Copyright © 2021 Simon Woolcot Amsterdam Shallow Man Still many foreigners still assume that Sinterklaas is a rip-off of SantaClaus, instead of the other way around. This page was last changed on 21 November 2020, at 07:22. The Feast of Sinterklaas . Not only did I get to learn more about the holiday and celebrate with my teammates, but I also got to celebrate with the family! Sinterklaas Explained. His helper and best friend is Black Peter. Yes, Spain! Dutch Prinsjesdag explained to foreigners - All you should know! At the start, Sinterklaas was a real person. On the day of the Sinterklaas Party, please bring a wrapped present of around $15 for each child in your party. Sinterklaas arrives from Spain in a boat and has a white horse that can walk across rooftops. Writing to Sinterklaas & A Reply From Sinterklaas. He wears a long red cape or chasuble over a traditional white bishop's alb and a sometimes-red stole, dons a red mitre and ruby ring, and holds a gold-coloured crosier, a long ceremonial shepherd's staff with a fancy curled top. Q: Where does this old dude and his black-faced friends come from? Lots bearing the names of the participants are drawn some time beforehand and â another very Dutch tradition â an agreement is made about how much will be spent on the presents. The figure of Sinterklaas is based on Saint Nicholas of Myra, a saint who lived in the 4th century in what is now Turkey. Sorry. A story is told about three little boys who dined at a restaurant and, after eating their fill, ⦠For an alternative, the Santa Claus article: 'a mythical figure ⦠He died on December 6th, so his life is commemorated as the Feast of Sinterklass on December 5th and 6th. His arrival in Amsterdam in mid November each year traditionally marks the official start of the city's festive season. Some clarifications. It’s the happiest time of the year as on Sunday, November 17th Sinterklaas will officially arrive in the Netherlands. Theyâre African slaves, all called Black Pete.. Officially, Black Pete is supposed to be a Moor from Spain, but itâs pretty rare that an actual Moor plays him. Itâs a tradition and everyone knows that traditions NEVER EVER CHANGE! As for Zwarte Piet: there are many explanations behind his appearance and character, ranging from a black devil forced to do good deeds by the Saint, to an Ethiopian slave Sinterklaas freed and who stayed with him out of gratitude. A ll Dutch children know that Sinterklaas (the name is a corruption of Sint Nikolaas) lives in Spain. Everyone knows that going through a chimney turns your face dark brown or black. Simultaneously, it is amongst the most ill-explained celebrations abroad. Sinterklaas. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Sinterklaas (also called Sint Nicolaas or De Goedheiligman in Dutch and Saint Nicolas in French) is a traditional Winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, Belgium, Aruba, Suriname and Netherlands Antilles, celebrated every year on Saint Nicholas' eve (5 December) or, in Belgium, on the morning of 6 December. This happens on December 5th, supposedly the ⦠Five differences between Dutch and British girls, 5 Differences Between Dutch and American Girls, Dating a Dutch Man, Seven Deadly Mistakes to Avoid, They are not black, they have been through a Chimney, Dutch Tolerance Political Correctness and Racism in the Netherlands. Depending on where in the Netherlands you live, Sinterklaas will somewhat confusingly arrive on a ⦠Do you want to read more similar stories? Yours sincerely The writing Piet. Iâm white and that qualifies me to tell non-white people what they should regard as discriminatory. It also turns the hair of Caucasians, you know, white people afro style. Fifteen years later it’s amazing that in 46 of the regional Sinterklaas events that there’ll be Roetpieten/Sooty Piets. Hallo Stuart A long letter with a lot of questions. Plus the national TV show the Sinterklaas Journaal in 2019 will feature no traditional blackface Zwarte Piets for the first time. Your email address will not be published. ehm wait, that's not entirely true, since the name Santa Claus comes from the Dutch name Sinterklaas, so it would be the other way around.Anyway, in The Netherlands most people celebrate Sinterklaas, by giving presents to each other, especially to their kids. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sinterklaas doesnât visit the children alone. The feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of, among ⦠The medieval attire of Sinterklaasâ assistants, the Zwarte Pieten, is equally mysterious. Bye for now. What I find charming is that the Dutch put on a television news programme throughout the Sinterklaas period, giving updates on the Sintâs progress as he travels on his long boat journey. No wait, Greece. Filed Under: Zwarte Piet Tagged With: expat life in the netherlands, sinterklaas zwarte piet, Your email address will not be published. Anyway, forget the stuff about the North Pole. Het gevolg is dat de witte Nederlander steeds âracistischerâ wordt. Sinterklaas gedichten and how to survive the season. Sinterklaas, or a form of Saint Nicholas Day, is celebrated in certain communities in the US, separate from Santa Claus, as well as other western Christian countries. Ridiculous that they look like that. Sinterklaas explained In the fourth century a.d. St. Nicholas (in dutch called "Sinterklaas" or "Sint Nicolaas"; in german called "Sankt Nikolaus") was the bishop of ⦠Christmas will also be celebrated in the Netherlands as well as in Belgium, so Santa Claus is not the same as Sinterklaas (in the Netherlands). Learn how your comment data is processed. Vertalingen in context van "sinterklaas" in Nederlands-Engels van Reverso Context: Net zoals er geen sinterklaas is of een eerlijke Oekraïense. Sinterklaas is the basis of the mythical holiday figure of Santa Claus in the United States. It is one of the first things that Dutch people mention when you ask about something typically Dutch. It is possible the name you are searching has less than five occurrences per year. Each present should be labeled with your childâs first and last name. Sinterklaas has nothing to do with Christmas. Every year in mid-November, Sinterklaasarrives in Amsterdam by means of a steamboat that has sailed all the way from Spain. This also explains why they can look different from their counterparts in Holland. Well, Turkey actually. Sinterklaas Dutch Vocabulary Guide. And every year, there is the ongoing discussion on whether it is racist or not. His helper and best friend is Black Peter. Depending on where in the Netherlands you live, Sinterklaas will somewhat confusingly arrive on a boat from Spain with one of the following: When I first arrived in the Netherlands in 2004, every single city used traditional blackface Zwarte Piets. How do we explain to the world that we paint people black during the holiday season? Legend has it that Sinterklaas originally came from Turkey as St. Nicolaus, the Bishop of Mira, an honourable man who was kind to children. As I explained before, it is similar to Christmas. Firstly, it is the name for the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus â except this oneâs from Spain. While Saint Nicholas reigned in Myra, which was formerly part of Greece and i⦠Sinterklaas eller Sint-Nicolaas er en legendarisk figur baseret på Sankt Nikolaus, der var helgen for børn.Han kaldes også De Sint ("Helgenen"), De Goede Sint ("Den Gode Helgen") og De Goedheiligman ("Den Gode Hellige Mand") på nederlandsk; Saint Nicolas på fransk; Sinteklaas på vestfrisisk; Sinterklaos på limburgsk; og Kleeschen eller Zinniklos i letzeburgsk. Still, many foreigners think that Sinterklaas is a rip-off of Santa Claus, instead of the other way around. On St. Nicholas Eve (December 5th), also known as pakjesavond or Sinterklaasavond, which means package night or Sinterklaas night, it is said that Sinterklaas rides across Hollandâs rooftops on his horse, âSchimmel,â with Black ⦠The Sinterklaas period lasts until December 5th, where the Sint then heads back down south to the warmer climate! Sinterklaas (also called Sint Nicolaas) is a traditional Winter holiday figure in Dutch-speaking Europe (The Netherlands and Flanders), and is also well known in the former Dutch colonies. Until next time, black is black…. He is depicted as an elderly, stately and serious man with white hair and a long, full beard. Sinterklaas & Pieten will arrive at 3:00 pm. A: Sinterklaas is said to have originated from St. Nicolaus, the Bishop of Mira, who lived in Turkey in the 3rd century. Zwarte Piet (literally: âBlack Peterâ) has long ⦠It is tradition that the children get presents from Sinterklaas (but it is not like Christmas because everyone else in the family does not exchange gifts). He spent his life by giving away his wealth to the poor and doing good deeds. Required fields are marked *. Black people are to blame for making white Dutch people more racist for not allowing whites to make fun of them by dressing up in blackface. No one really knows why he then chose to live in Spain but historians point to the Spanish domination over the Netherlands in the past. Astride his white steed, Sinterklaas leads the Childrenâs starlight Parade, which culminates in the center of town with the Sinterklaas pagent, honoring the children and ending with a stirring wish for peace. Back in the days when songs actually had more than one or two repetitive phrases, repeated over a dreadful electronic beat, there were people known as musicians. Exactly why he does remains a mystery, but that is what all the old songs and nursery rhymes say. if you like our Facebook fanpage, you can read everyday such amazing stories. Fun Facts about the name Sinterklaas. How unique is the name Sinterklaas? In many cases, it is celebrated on December 6 rather than 5, since this is the official day that Saint Nicholas died. This week, even the United Nations decided to get involved. We recommend that you aim at arriving at around 2:45 pm so your kids will not miss the arrival of Sinterklaas. Out of 6,028,151 records in the U.S. Social Security Administration public data, the first name Sinterklaas was not present. I’ve put together this handy Sinterklaas Dutch vocabulary guide to help you understand some of the comments you might hear at Sinterklaas events where they still use a mixture of traditional and Roet Piets. From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sinterklaas&oldid=7186160, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is based on the historical figure of Saint Nicholas (270â343), a Greek bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey. The official feast day is December 6th, when Sinterklaas visits lots of schools, churches, stores, restaurants, hospitals, and more. According to the legend, he saved the town from starvation, revived a couple of dead children, and offered gifts of dowries to poor girls so they didnât have to become prostitues. Little else is known about himâexcept that he loved children. We canât answer them. â. The Amsterdam Confessions of a Shallow Man, Life in the Netherlands Through the Eyes of a Sarcastic Expat. I know the wording that Sinterklaas is a 'traditional figure' probably stems out of some edit war, but to me this is way too vague. It is Sinterklaas time! . Saint Nicholas was born in the 3rd century to wealthy parents in the Patara region, Greek at the time, but currently in Turkey. If he has gone to Amsterdam that year he will to meet the Queen in the Palace. Sinterklaas wears a bishopâs cloak, tunic and miter because he derived from the Greek bishop Saint Nicholas who was the patron saint of children and sailors (hence the boat). All donations are welcome. Recommended Sites and Services For Expats. 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