What's in a name - Sillemstraat

The name of the street on which we live is Sillemstraat and ever since we have lived there I have wondered what the origin of "Sillem" was. The area in which we live is the Indischebuurt (Indian Quarter) and many of the streets take their names from locations in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia which declared independence from the Netherlands just after the Second World War), for example Minahassastraat, Ambonstraat, Cheribonstraat and Soerabajastraat. However, I was unable to find any reference to a place called Sillem in either the Dutch East Indies or Indonesia.

So the mystery remained until a few weeks ago when I found a book in the local library entitled "De Straat Waarin Wij Wonen" ("The Street on which we live"). This book gave explanations of the origins of every street-name in Haarlem and so I was finally able to solve the puzzle. It turns out that Sillemstraat was actually named after an Amsterdam banker by the name of Hieronymous Sillem, who lived from 1768 to 1833. In 1812 he bought the country estate of Spaarnhoven in Schoten, Schoten being the original name of that part of Haarlem-Noord. This estate had existed since the mid 16th century and was used as headquarters by the Spanish during the siege of Haarlem in 1572-3.

The estate was enlarged in 1823 and a large country park built. This park housed a Swiss-style building which was in existence until as recently as 1973 when it burned down in its then location on the Melkerijpad in Noordersportpark . The construction of the park was carried out by the horticulturist and landscaper J.D Zocher (of the famous landscaping Zocher family who also have a street named after them, Zocherstraat, in the Patriomoniumbuurt just north of Haarlem station). The whole estate was auctioned off in 1859 and three years later it disappeared entirely to be replaced by a farm, also named Spaarnhoven. This farm was then demolished in 1920 and is now the location of Spaarnhovenstraat. This map, from 1867, shows Schoten at that time with the former location of Spaarnhoven shown roughly in the centre of the map (indicated by "Voormalig Spaarnhoven").

And it appears that the streets adjacent to Sillemstraat are also named after important Schoten landowners of the past. Hodsonstraat, which runs perpendicular to Sillemstraat, takes its name from Albertus Hodshon (1703-1770), an Amsterdam linen merchant who bought the "Klein Berkenrode" (the previous name of Spaarnhoven) estate of in 1761.

Borkistraat, which runs adjacent to Sillemstraat to the south, is named after Johannes Borski (1807-1891), of the famous Amsterdam banking family (his mother being Johanna Borski) and owner of the Hartenlust estate in Bloemandaal (which still exists today, http://www.landgoedhartenlust.nl/landgoed.html). He was also married to Olga Emelie Sillem, the daughter of Hieronymous Sillem.

Sinterklaas arrives in Haarlem

Today Sinterklaas made his entry into Haarlem and we went along to see it. He also arrived in other Dutch towns and cities, for example Amsterdam. Obviously it's not the same Sinterklaas who arrives in every place, it's just many different actors of course. God may be omnipresent but I don't really think Sinterklaas is.

He was due to arrive on his steamboat from Spain at 1pm on the river Spaarne, which runs through the centre of Haarlem. By the time we arrived there at around 12:45pm the banks of the river were already very crowded. We made our way past a band made up of Zwarte Pieten who were playing a selection of traditional Sinterklaas songs and found a free place at the river's edge, close to the famous 700 year-old white lift-bridge, the Gravestenenbrug, one of many bridges that span the river Spaarne in Haarlem. There were also many people spread along this bridge but they would surely have to move once Sinterklaas' steamboat came up the river and the bridge opened to let it through.

A number of small pleasure boats made their way up and down the river and dark clouds began to form up in the sky but luckily the weather held. Next to us were a couple of French tourists, clutching their Amsterdam guide book. I wondered if it explained exactly what was going on. I guess not as they looked rather perplexed at the goings-on.

Eventually a cry went up that the steamboat was approaching and the bridge further down the river slowly opened. A few minutes later it was possible to get the first glimpse of the large "Pakjesboot" making its way up the river along with the many colourful small pleasure boats following behind it. As the boat came close we could hear the band playing the song "O Kom er Eens Kijken" (roughly "Oh, Come and See", in the left video on the below) with the dozens of Zwarte Pieten on the boat swaying in time to the music. As the boat came alongside us the tune changed to another song "Hoor de wind waait door de bomen" ("Hear the Wind Blowing through the Trees", in the right video below) and we could finally get a clear view of Sinterklaas himself, standing proud on the brow of his fine ship, surrounded by his many, colourful helpers.

The Gravestenenbrug was finally cleared of outlookers and soon that too opened to let the Pakjesboot journey further up the River Spaarne to its final destination close to the large Police headquarters on Koudenhorn. After the boat had passed we decided to leave our viewing point and follow it up the river. But unfortunately the majority of the other onlookers choose the same option and it became very crowded once we neared Koudenhorn and it was very difficult to catch a glimpse of Sinterklaas when he disembarked and climbed onto his beautiful white horse Amerigo for the ride through the streets of Haarlem to the main square, the Grote Markt where he would be received by the mayor of Haarlem Bernt Scheiders.
However, by then the excitement of the day had finally caught up with Matthew and he was fast asleep in his pram and so we left for home.

Sinterklaas komt!

Today was the day of the arrival of Sinterklaas which marks the start of the Dutch festive season. Sinterklaas is the equivalent of Santa Claus in Netherlands and Belgium and his feast day is held every year on the 5th December when children receive gifts. I'll explain more about the traditions connected with Sinterklaas later but first here is a little bit of history.

Saint Nicholas (from whom Sinterklaas originates) was born in the town of Patara, Lycia, in what is now modern-day Turkey but which was at that time a Greek-speaking part of the Roman Empire,in the year 271AD. He grew up to become the Bishop of Myra (also in Lycia) and after his death in around 340AD he was named as the patron saint of both sailors and children due to the many deeds and miracles that he was responsible for. He once saved a sailor from drowning on a voyage from Myra to Alexandria in Egypt. Another example was when a man was unable to afford a dowry for his three daughters thus preventing them from getting married. Therefore one evening Nicholas visits the man's house and deposits three bags of gold to enable the daughters to get married.

The legend of Saint Nicholas was gradually brought along the Mediterranean Sea by sailors until it reached Spain and from there it was taken to the Netherlands when Dutch sailors came into contact with Spanish sailors. This, and the fact that the Netherlands were ruled by the Spanish Habsbergs during the 15th and 16th century when the legend first became popular, forms the basis of why Sinterklaas is now thought to live in Spain. One part of the tradition suggests that Sinterklaas will capture any children that have been naughty and take them back with him to Spain. I hardly think that is a particularly severe punishment and is probably more likely to provoke Dutch children to be naughty I would have thought.

The steamboot of Sinterklaas currently takes the form of the former steamship Hydrograaf, which now goes under the name "Pakjesboot 12". This ship has been used for the intocht every year since 1985 apart the the years 1993 and 2001 when Pakjesboots 13 and 14 were used respectively as the bridges in the location of the intochts in those years (Ravensten, Noord-Brabant im 1993 and Maastricht, Limburg in 2001) were too low. However, the funnels and masts of Pakjesboot 12 are now collapsable and so it is able to pass under bridges that previously would have been too low.

Once Sinterklaas' steamboat has safely docked his mode of transport then changes to a white Schimmel horse with the name of Amerigo which, according to legend, is able to walk over the roofs of houses whilst Sinterklaas delivers his presents. It is possible that the Sinterklaas legend is also partly based on the old Norse god Odin (who was known as Wodan by Germanic pagans who lived in the Netherlands in the Middle-Ages). Odin also rode a magnificent, white eight-legged horse by the name of Sleipnir which may be the basis for the appearance of Amerigo.

Sinterklaas is assisted by helpers called Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes) who have black faces and very colourful clothes. They are mischievious characters who run along after Sinterklaas throwing sweets and pepernoten (small ginger cookies) to the crowd. Originally Zwarte Pieten were associated with the devil and signified the triumph over evil, leading to the devil being captured and forced to work for Saint Nicholas. How they became the black-faced, colourful characters they are today is rather unclear and every year arguments are raised that the tradition is racist due to the racial stereotypes the Zwarte Piets portray. One story is that the Piets have black faces due to them having crawled down the sooty chimneys to help Sinterklaas deliver his presents or from the smoke produced by his steamboat. But this theory doesn't explain other characteristics such as the curly hair, the large golden earring, the Jamaican or Suirnams accent and the thick, red lips. The colourful clothes are supposed to represent typical Moorish costumes that wear worn in the 16th century and therefore the appearance of the Pieten also represent people of the Moorish race. However, although Moors tended to have a dark, swarthy appearance they didn't necessarily have the typical negro characteristics above.

In order to try and diminish the possible racial overtones it has become more common for Pieten of other colours to be used nowadays. These Rainbow Pieten have also attracted some criticism however due to traditionalists complaining that too much political correctness has crept into the festival. I guess this argument will run and run and it's difficult to see a solution that will please everyone being reached.

In the 17th century Dutch emigrants took the legend of Sinterklaas over to America where he eventually became "Americanised". His Zwarte Pieten were replaced by elfs, he changed from a simple Bishop to a fat, jolly old man and his clothes become the white fur-lined red cloak and trousers that are now very familar today.

This year the official "intocht" was in Almere, the youngest city in the Netherlands
with construction having been begun in only 1976 and it only achieving municipality status in 1984. It is situated in Flevoland, itself the youngest province in the Netherlands having been established in 1986. The island on which Almere sits, the Flevopolder was fully reclaimed from the sea in 1967. Today Almere is known for its modern, exciting architecture and housing projects. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in the Netherlands housing an increasing number of Amsterdam commuters.

The intocht is now always held on the first Saturday after the Sint-Maartens festival on the 11th November (see entry for that day for more information about this festival) and has been shown live on TV every years since 1952 and as part of the very popular Children's programme Het Sinterklaasjournaal since 2001. Between 1952 and 1963 every intocht was held in Amsterdam apart from the one in 1960 which was in Rotterdam. However, from 1964 onwards the intocht has had a new locations every year, always somewhere with a harbour so that Sinterklaas' boat can gain entry to the town or city. In 2006 the location was Middelburg in Zeeland and last year it was Kampen in Overijssel. Next year's arrival venue is not yet known and will be decided at a later date.

Sinterklaas, of course, is actually played by an actor and since 1986 the role has been held by the well-known Dutch actor Bram van der Vlugt. He with hold the role until 2010 when he will be replaced. The hoofdpiet (head Piet) is currently played by the entertainer and actor Erik van Muiswinkel whose name I always find amusing as Muiswinkel means "Mouse Shop" in English.

Every year the intocht has a story connected with it and this year it went as follows:
One of Sinterklaas' helper, Rare Piet, almost caused a disaster when he fall out of an aeroplane that was flying him to Almere. He landed right on top of Sinterklaas' chair breaking it into many pieces. Meanwhile Sinterklaas' steamboat, which had brought him all the way from Spain, was moving far too slowly and so, in order to try and make it go faster, the Zwartepiets used many red balloons which were supposed to be for Sinterklaas' birthday party on 5th December. Unfortunately the balloons escaped and blew all the way to Almere where they could be seen all over the place. A few balloons even ended up in other places such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and even Maastricht!

Eventually the boat did manage to make its way into Almere harbour, with the help of some of the red balloons which had been rescued although Rare Piet was still unable to repair Sinterklaas' chair, for which he was sacked. Fortunately though the mayor of Almere had a spare chair and so disaster was averted, hurrah!

Sint Maartens Day

Today is the feast day of Sint Maarten (Saint Martin's day or Martinmas) in the Netherlands. Sint Maarten was originally a Roman soldier, born in what is now Hungary, who eventually became a monk and ended up being the Bishop of Tours in France. One of the most famous legends connected with him was when he came across a beggar during a snowstorm and cut his military cloak in half in order to give part of it to the beggar and prevent him from dying due to the cold. The following night he had a dream in which it was Jesus who was wearing his half-cloak. From then on he decided to dedicate his life to Christ and choose to get baptised shortly afterwards.

Nowadays his feast day is held every year on the 11th November and, rather like Halloween, children make their way through the streets with candles, paper lanterns and occasionally carved turnips, sing traditional Sint Maarten songs and receive treats in return.
Last year Luz and Matthew were in Peru on this date and I forgot to buy sweets. Therefore, whenever any children knocked on the door and sang their songs I had to search around the kitchen for something to give them - biscuits, crisps, fruit etc. Once they had run out I had to resort to giving money as I felt a bit embarrased to give them nothing. This generated quite a bit of amazement amongst their parents who were totally unexpecting such behaviour no doubt.

One mother asked me why I hadn't got any sweets to hand out and if I knew what the evening was all about. I had simply forgotten all about it because when I used to live in the centre of Haarlem I got no visitors at all on Sint Maarten's evening and so wasn't expecting many visitors. But in the area where we live now there are many more families with young children and so their was an almost constant knocking on the front door. Of course I didn't explain all this to the mother, I just lied and said I had no idea what it was all about. Thankfully she then went into a long explanation of the history and meaning of the festival. Luckily it was pretty dark and so she was unable to see that my eyes had started to glaze over by the time she had finished. And looking at the size of her children she should have been grateful that I was giving them fruit rather than yet more sweets. In the end I give up, turned the lights out, closed the curtains and pretended to be out. After a few minutes of knocking the visitors simply gave up and moved onto the house next-door!

Anyway, this year I was fully prepared and went out and bought lots of bags of sweets which I poured into a large bowl which could be handed around to all the expected youngsters who would come knocking. Although, in the end, I never got the opportunity to hand out the sweets as I had somehow managed to drive over something on the way back from the supermarket and had put a large hole in one of the tyres on my car. So I had to spend most of the evening changing it (with some help from my neighbour as it proved extremely difficult to remove).

However, from my vantage point crouched at the side of my car I did have an excellent view of the constant stream of visitors passing down our street with their paper lanterns, knocking on all the doors, singing their songs and receiving their treats. Matthew helped Luz to hand them out and seemed to find it all very enjoyable although he is still a bit too young to have fully understood what its all about. Maybe next year we can go out with him and join in the fun. Of course we'll need to learn some of the Sint Maarten songs first.

For more information about the typical Dutch traditions of Sint Maarten's evening, instructions on how to make a paper lantern and some of the usual songs see here (in Dutch but you should be able to get a good idea of what its all about).

Utrecht

During our trip to Utrecht we visited the very large Hoog Catherijne shopping centre (one of the few large indoor shopping centres in the Netherlands in fact). Whilst there I had to pay (literally, 50 cents!) to the toilets of the McDonalds located there. Here is what I found: