As the days get colder and shorter, a much-needed source of light and warmth sails down the Groningen canals. A large bearded man stands out in the crowded green boat. He is dressed in red and white, with a large bishop’s hat adorning his head like a crown. The first thing to come to mind is Santa Klaus, but November 19th seems way too early for Christmas traditions. Hundreds of children and families fill the streets, yelling ‘Sinterklaas’ and waving to the boat in excitement.
This is the scene I see on a regular November morning as I take a stroll. Colourfully-dressed children pour through the streets, making their way to the canals, where they might catch a glimpse of Sinterklaas. The city centre streets are so crowded that cyclists have to get off their bicycles to avoid knocking over any children and bystanders like myself are forced into the procession. I make my way to higher ground to take in the incredible sight.
Accompanying Sinterklaas is his reliable white steed, Ozosnel (previously known as Amerigo), and his trusty helpers, the Black Piets. Dressed in various colourful outfits – from red to purple, yellow and green – a sea of Black Piets give the excited children delicious pepernoten, a tasty gingerbread that leaves you wanting more.
While the arrival of Sinterklaas is surely enough to lift your spirits in the wintertime, the elation and holiday spirit doesn’t end there. His arrival from Spain is just the beginning for many Dutch children. In the weeks following, children can watch ‘Sinterklaas Journaal’ to keep up with news about Sinterklaas in anticipation of the 5th of December. It is on this day, Pakjesavond, that Sint and his Black Piets work together to give every well-behaved man, woman, and child a present. Before Pakjesavond, is also customary for Sinterklaas to leave a couple of little gifts in your shoe in the form of candy or chocolate letters, pepernoten, and other trinkets.
I spent the past weekend with my boyfriend’s family, who have always celebrated Sinterklaas with more passion and holiday spirit than Christmas. When I suggested that Christmas was the best holiday of the year and that Sinterklaas seemed to be a knock-off version of Santa, I was almost thrown out into the cold. And now I can truly see why Sinterklaas is so important. For many Dutch people, childhood was synonymous with a belief in Sinterklaas and his Piets.
Growing up in Zambia, I spent my Christmases sitting by the pool in 30-degree weather. My family certainly celebrated the Christmas tradition of exchanging gifts and eating delicious Christmas food, but there was no emphasis on the mythology of Santa Klaus, and thus no sense of magic. We didn’t need theatrics to lift our spirits because the summertime did it for us. Now living in the Netherlands, where the Sun rises and sets after a few hours, and the cold seeps into your bones, I understand the need for magic. Anything warm, sweet, and cheerful to lift our seasonal depressed spirits is encouraged in the darkest and coldest season of the year.
Although there are many parallels between Sinterklaas and Christmas, I don’t see a need to get rid of one. Everyone wishes the dark and depressing winter had more uplifting occasions. The more gezellig time we spend with our friends and family, the better we will be at beating the beast of December.
Hello Sandra
I hope you can take a few minutes to read this note from Melbourne, Australia.
I enjoyed reading your article about the arrival of Sinterklaas. And I also enjoyed very much your previous insightful article: I’m not Black; I’m African.
Your recounting of your boyfriend’s family’s reaction to your suggestion that ‘Sinterklaas seemed to be a knock-off version of Santa’ made me smile!
I recalled the importance of Sinterklaas to my family in my own childhood in rural South Australia in the 1960s. My parents settled in country South Australia after immigrating from the Netherlands, and it was important for them to teach and share their Dutch customs and traditions with my sister and me. We received gifts – from our grandparents – in a large box which travelled by sea post for several weeks to arrive in time for 6 December. Although we loved the gifts from our grandparents (whom, then, we had never met!), the whole idea of ‘Sinterklaas’ was quite unusual, and seemed to us small children in Australia to be an early, private and smaller scale version of Christmas.
I am interested in stories from The Northern Times because my family are from Fryslân. Frisian was my first language, and I can still speak it today, when talking with my cousins who still live around the towns of Franeker (Frisian = Frjentsjer) and Sneek (Frisian = Snits).
You may have been joking with your boyfriend’s family by suggesting that that Sinterklaas seemed to be a knock-off version of Santa. And you may know that – almost ironically – Santa Claus is actually a knock-off version of Sinterklaas!
My father had an Uncle Nicolas (Oom Nikolaus). To his friends and family he was known as Klaas. The Dutch, the Danes and the Germans all have a similar shortened and informal version of Nicholas or Nikolaus. (Klaas, Klaus etc)
With this context, we can see the linguistic connection and evolution between Sint Nikolaus, Sint Klaas, Sinterklaas, and – ultimately – Santa Claus. Sint Nikolaus was a Bishop in the early Catholic church. A little reading about him will shows that the life of Sint Nikolaus underpins much of the story of Sinterklaas.
Fact: Santa Claus is an American adaptation of the Dutch Sinterklaas.
You may know that the Dutch were prominent in New York long before the English took over. The city was actually known as New Amsterdam until 1664, when the English renamed it New York.
We can also see that the Dutch influence is much more far reaching than the basis of Santa Claus! Some of the New York boroughs are named after Dutch towns: Harlem (Haarlem) and Brooklyn (Breukelen), for example. Flushing (within the borough of Queens) is named after Vlissingen.
Prominent New York families, like Vanderbilt and Roosevelt clearly have Dutch origins. The 8th President of the United States of America was Martin Van Buren (christened Maarten Van Buren). He was born in the village of Kinderhook (original spelling Kinderhoek), in 1782, and spoke Dutch at home.
Although the Dutch cultural influence in America is often overlooked, the evidence is irrefutable! And although the name Santa Claus is connected forever with Christmas, it is a fact that Santa Claus based on Sinterklaas.
By the way, here’s an obscure little connection between New York and geographic base of The Northern Times. The last Dutch Governor (or Director General) of New Amsterdam / New Netherland, before it became New York, was Pieter Stuyvesant. Pieter Stuyvesant was born in Friesland and studied at the University in Franeker. Yes! There really was a university in Franeker, from 1585 to 1811. But that’s another story!
I hope that you continue to enjoy your time in the North of the Netherlands. If you settle there, permanently, the Dutch will be lucky to have you! Good luck in all you do.
Best wishes
Jan Wiersma
Melbourne
Australia
Hello Jan,
I’m so happy you enjoyed my Sinterklaas article all the way from Melbourne, Australia. It was fascinating to learn of the influence of the Netherlands on America, particularly on New York. I had no idea it went so far that their 8th president was of Dutch heritage, so thank you so much for the insight on the topic! My heart warmed hearing about the cultural importance of Sinterklaas to you and your family. I hope you have been able to carry out the tradition!
Warm regards
Sandra Longmore
Groningen
The Netherlands