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!