Monday, Nov 17, 2008
Sinterklaas Arrives In Amsterdam
Sunday marked the start of the holidays in the Netherlands with the arrival, in Amsterdam, of Sinterklaas and the Zwarte Pieten. This moment is the equivalent of seeing Santa Clause arrive at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
However, instead of short, pointy-eared elves… the Dutch “Santa” arrives with his Moorish helpers, the Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters).
Seeing men, women and children wearing black-face make-up may make Americans uncomfortable… Dressing as a Zwarte Piet may seem racially insensitive. However, it is done in good spirit and affectionatly… the same way one might paint their face green and dress like a Leprechaun for St. Patrick’s Day.
Check out a previous post, “Oh Little Town of Amsterdam to learn more about the Dutch Sinterklaas the precursor of the American Santa Clause.
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3 reactions
Paul:
Great to see your post on this. My son and many of his friends have been there for this festival on numerous occasions. As you did, they loved being part of it. And, as you point out, it is all in the spirit of friendship, togetherness and celebration. Nice video…fun to watch Santa on the Canal instead of 34th Street in NYC.
Hank
re: “Dressing as a Zwarte Piet may seem racially insensitive. However, it is done in good spirit and affectionatly… the same way one might paint their face green and dress like a Leprechaun for St. Patrick’s Day.” Yeah, except that, unlike Leprechauns, black folks are not mythical elves. The way white dutch people wear blackface makeup and a wigs mocks black people’s physical features. It is tasteless, crude and racially insensitive. It is no less so just because the tasteless, crude and insensitive folks do it with the best of intentions.
In the dutch caribean we also celebrate Sinterklaas. I still remember being put in the bag for a few second in elementary school for being bad. Those zwarte pieten were really cool in those days. Screaming “piet kabriet” at them and then running like hell hahah ohhh youthful silliness. In the netherlands i had to adjust though to the making of poems on dec 5th. But it is really fun nonetheless. Greetz
Andrew
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