The American Santa Claus came to New York with Dutch settlers about 500 years ago. Saint Nicolas, or Sinterklaas in Dutch, was a saintly bishop of Spain, known for gift giving. In the Netherlands this saint’s day is celebrated on December 5, and it’s a big holiday for small children as well as a great party for adults.
In the Netherlands preparations for St. Nicolas Day begin in November. The mythical bishop arrives by boat, supposedly from Spain. He is dressed in full regalia and rides a white horse. He is accompanied by a black servant, Peter (Zwarte Piet). Traditionally, this character is a Dutch adolescent wearing black paint. The pair comes early because they need to ride all the rooftops of the houses where children live. They leave something for every child who has sung a song and left a carrot for the horse. It is a fun time because Zwarte Piet also visits houses, leaving whole rooms strewn with candy.
On December 5, when he has collected all the children’s wishes, Sinterklass makes his last visit before returning to Spain. There are presents and sweets for children, and the grownups have fun exchanging funny gifts accompanied by poems. Very little work gets done because everyone is thinking up poems. Even the weatherman has to give his report in rhyme.
This year, the traditional event has been disrupted by a group of troublemakers who say that Zwarte Piet is a racist concept. All the ones I have known were male or female teenagers painted black. So this year when Saint Nicolas arrived in the city of Gouda, 60 people were arrested for protesting racism and spoiling the lovely party for a lot of children. The prime minister declared, rightfully, that Sinterklaas is a centuries-old tradition and that it should stay as it has always been.
And why not? In the national anthem of the Netherlands we swear that we will always honor the king of Spain, regardless of the fact that it took 80 years of war before the Spaniards were driven out in 1680. Judging ancient tradition by today’s standards of political correctness borders on the ridiculous.