Happy Birthday Sinterklaas!!!

[jorismo]

Ok, I know his birthday is on tuesday the 6th of december, but tonight is 'pakjesavond' after all...

For those who don't have a clue who Sinterklaas is: Sinterklaas comes from Spain every year to celebrate his birthday. On december the 5th he goes on the roofs together with his loyal assistans the 'Zwarte Pieten'. The childern set their shoes on front of the chimney and the Zwarte Pieten climb through the chimney's so they can put the present in the shoes. It's a kinda like Christmas...



Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet


So to all dutch/belgian members: any Sinterklaas presents tonight??

[Esperante]

Erm..yay!

[henk4]

Erm..yay!

we prefer a white horse over a red-nosed rendier

[Esperante]

rendier

A what?

[pterps]

Oh yeah everybody here likes his Schimmel

[henk4]

A what?

a Rudolph

[Esperante]

a Rudolph

Oh, you mean a reindeer?

[Tiff]

Haha, we don't celebrate Sinterklaas, but I did get a present today in the hospital and at school. He does that very fast, first at school in Doetinchem and a few hours later in Nijmegen

He's good See you next year Sinterklaas

[henk4]

Oh, you mean a reindeer?

we call that a rendier in Dutch

[Rockefella]

I celebrate Christmas, but that deep-black skinned (painted) elf is pretty funny looking.

[henk4]

I celebrate Christmas, but that deep-black skinned (painted) elf is pretty funny looking.

and politically incorrect

[Pando]

What's the story behind this Black Pete dude? I havn't heard he'd appear in other countries (perhaps Belgium?).

[henk4]

he dates from the time when it was customary to have a black servant

[Pando]

Thought so, can imagine Sinterklaas and Piet may face a lack of popularity especially among young people(now or in the future), representing religion, colonization and racism. Although it might have made sense back in the day, it looks awkward now, especially to an outsider. But then again, he's not the commercialized sell-out sponsored-by-Coca-Cola santa of many other countries, but rather a look-I-swear-I'm-not-a-pagan-icon-since-I-wear-the-Pope's-clothes santa...

[henk4]

he is gradually loosing out against father X-mas over here as well.