Only two hours to go, and Saint Nicholas will set foot on Dutch soil again. He's making his entry in the city of Middelburg this year, the capital of the province of Zeeland. Dutch lore dictates that he comes sailing on a steamer all the way from Spain.
He sails into a different city every year, the only criterium being that there's water there. I sometimes wonder if they care at all, whether or not a city can be reached from the sea without too many logistic challenges. Oh well, they have any amount of time they need to prepare, because they don't really come from Spain, eh? The arrival, which is a huge live event on nationwide TV, has been held in my city, Enkhuizen, three times, in 1969, 1977, and most recently in 1997. If anybody wants to see the Saint's arrival, providing you're reading this in time, you might try the following link: http://www.omroep.nl/nps/sinterklaasjournaal. It's a Dutch-language site, and I guess you'll have to click on a link that says "Intocht Sinterklaas", or just "Intocht".
I will not discuss St. Nicholas celebrations in other countries, nor will allow myself to get carried away by local and regional differences. This entry is only concerned with general 'traditions'.
Who is Saint Nicholas then...? He's a Turkish bishop, born in 280 AD. He officially died on December 6, 342, but don't break the news just yet! Too many of our wee folks are convinced the Saint lives on to this very day, a rumor far more persistent than the one about Elvis Presley. At least on the King's 90th birthday even the most avid believers will begin to have their doubts, I'm sure. Why we place the Saint in Spain I don't know. I'll have to check Wikipedia about that.
St. Nick has a long white beard, and wears a red robe, a red miter with a yellow cross, and walks the earth with the help of a golden staff. He's a passionate horseman, and loves to ride the rooftops on his trusty grey.
Like Santa Claus (whose name is derived from Sinterklaas, the most common name used for St. Nick). In Dutch, they're called Zwarte Piet, which translates as Black Pete. I know nothing about the origins of that name, but I was taught in kindergarten, that they're chimney sweepers whose faces turned black from years of sweeping soot. This could be a story made up to curb claims of racism, though. They're dressed in suits that remind me of the uniforms of the Swiss Guard in the Vatican. They're armed with birch rods (which supports the chimney sweepers claim), and they traditionally use it to punish naughty children. They don't really, afraid as they are of lawsuits.
Another traditional punishment used to be for a kid to be taken back to Spain in the Saint's bag. That to me was the first sign that something about His Holiness was fishy. I've had to deal with some very naughty kids back when I was barely knee-high myself, but none of them ever went missing in December.
Today's arrival, by the way, is a cue for kids across the land to leave a shoe at the front door (nobody seems to have chimneys anymore) every night until December 4th, expecting small presents on a daily basis. I usually only found some marzipan in mine every three days or so, but there were kids who showed off their new boxes of lego in school every single morning. Or GI Joes, or whatever... There are always some, aren't there!? Oh, the same way Americans leave milk and cookies for Santa, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Comet, and Saddam, etc., Dutch kids leave a carrot and a sugar cube for St. Nicholas' horse.
Then, on the evening of December t5, just after dinner, dad goes out for a smoke (or better yet, a neighbor is hired to do the job), and bangs on the door. The kids have to remain seated, while dad re-emerges with a bag full of big presents.
Lots of candy are devoured when the presents are opened. Typical St. Nicholas sweets include gingerbread, marzipan, gingernuts, fondant, and speculaas, and every kid get the first letter of his name in chocolate. Parent's like to help themselves to bishop's wine, while kids generally drink chocolate milk.
As kids grow older, they're entered into another St. Nicholas tradition in their schools. From 5th thru 8th grade, they don't get gifts from Santa in school. Instead they have to buy each other presents, and then hide them in some sort of construction which disguises the shape of the present, and which look too good to break up to get to the gift, but which you positively have to demolish, if you want ot get to it. You also have to write a poem, in which you pose as the Saint, in which you remind the other kid of some naughtiness he or she had rather not been reminded of, and in which you hint towards the present you've bought, without giving away what it is. I'd be interested to know if other countries have similar traditions.
I was about six when I finally uncovered the awful truth. I was awake late at night, and caught my mom putting a marzipan frog in my shoe. I kept the secret from my siblings, but I really should have just charged in and burst their bubble.
There's one weird memory concerning Saint Nicholas I want to share with y'all. It happened on December 14, 2001, nine days late, and in the unlikeliest of places. I walked into the FIC Store, in Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. One of the first things that caught my eye, amid all the bottles of flat cola, the frozen imported bread, and the cans of food all less than a year from their best before date: a box containing pencils, coloring pictures, and... a CD with 20 Dutch St. Nicholas songs. I should have just bought it and looked at the faces of the Dutch customs officials while declaring it as an import with a receipt from the Falkland Islands. I also wonder how the store clerks would have reacted when they finally managed to sell this misdirected item.
That was intresting, I really like the part about Naughty childern being taken away to Spain, in the US, they just say that Santa Clause will leave coal in thier stockings. But I like the kidnapping idea better.
Yeah, well, I'm not too familiar with the reindeer. It's Dancer, Prancer, Donner, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Vixen and one more, isn't it? Or do I have to count that Rudolph too? I dunno. As long as you realize that Santa's present form was created by the Coca Cola company!!!
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That was intresting, I really like the part about Naughty childern being taken away to Spain, in the US, they just say that Santa Clause will leave coal in thier stockings. But I like the kidnapping idea better.
Comet, Cupid, and Sadahm? Too funny. And very interesting too!!
