Sinterklaas - or was that Santaclaus?
For most children in the Netherlands today (the 5th of December) is the most important day of the year, as Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) brings them their presents!
St. Nicholas' (birth)day is on the 6th December, but in the Netherlands, the major celebrations are held on the evening of the 5th December. The name of the person we know here in the US as Santa Claus comes from the name Sinterklaas, which is short for Saint Nicholas.
A couple of weeks before his birthday, Saint Nick arrives in towns and cities all over the Netherlands, often arriving by steam boat (where possible) from Spain, and then travels onwards on a white horse, which he will later use to travel from rooftop to rooftop to deliver presents, which are delivered through chimneys. He is accompanied by a team of "Zwarte Pieten" who help him on his huge task of delivering presents to every child in the country.
From that day on children will leave clogs or shoes out by the fireplace or sometimes a windowsill at night, and sing Sinterklaas songs. They believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets. They're told that, during the night, Sinterklaas rides on the roofs on his horse and that a 'Zwarte Piet', Sinterklaas' helpers, will then climb down the chimney (or through a window) and put the presents and/or candy in their shoes. Obviously the American way of leaving a glass of whiskey for Santaclaus is a vast improvement on this for all of the rest of us...
Children are told that the Zwarte Pieten keep a record of all the things they have done in the past year (and they do!!). Good children will get presents from Sinterklaas, but bad children will be put in a sack and the Zwarte Pieten take them to Spain for a year to teach then how to behave! (Note: I never spent any time in Spain...)
Dutch tradition says that St. Nicholas lives in Spain and every year he chooses a different harbour to arrive in Holland, so as many children as possible get a chance to see him - in our case, Saint Nick would always arrive on a steamboat (supplied by the dockyard) in the village where I grew up.
On the night of the 5th of December, presents are delivered by Sinterklaas and his helpers. This is called 'Sinterklaasavond' or 'Pakjesavond' (presents evening). There might be a knock at the door and you might find a sack full of presents!
Sinterklaas parties are often held on St. Nicholas' Eve (5th), where treasure hunt games are played with poems and riddles giving the clues. Children follow the clues to find little presents left by Sinterklaas. Special biscuits and sweets are also eaten at the party. One type of biscuit is called 'letter banket' or 'banketletter' (meaning letter cake), which is made from marzipan and pastry. The biscuits are made in the shapes of the first letter of the peoples names who are at the party. Another sweet biscuit that is eaten at the parties are 'pepernoot' which are made with cinnamon and spices in the pastry biscuit mix. Bakkerij Dekker, located in Pernis, does an excellent job making these - so that's the place to go and get yours!!
Surprise presents are also given on St. Nicholas' Day. A custom at the Sinterklaas parties, often within classes at schools, is that everyone's name is put into a hat and everyone picks another person's name - then they have to make a surprise present for that person. The presents are often things that the person would find useful with their favourite hobby. The presents come with a poem inside that gives a clue to who might have sent the present, but it is all meant to be a mystery!
Enjoy your Sinterklaas avond!!