12/10/2023 0 Comments Thank you coronavirus helpers videoPhoto: Ī different place to set foot on dry land is judiciously chosen every year. Since 1952 the arrival of Sinterklaas has been a televised event which sees the Sint and his helpers land in style from their steam boat from Spain (although Sinterklaas has been known to arrive by train, plane and even a hot air balloon). The Meertens Institute says the first intocht van Sinterklaas, or the arrival of Sinterklaas, took place in Zwolle in 1873 when ‘a couple of well-to do farmers had a local prankster dress up as Sinterklaas distributing sweets to poor children’. However, the partying has gradually shifted to the night before, or December 5, which is also known as pakjesavond or parcels evening. Up until the 1940s, children would find a present in their shoe on December 6, which is officially St Nicholas’ saints day in the Catholic church calendar. Many of today’s traditions – such as Sinterklaas’s helper Zwarte Piet (Black Pete, now Sooty Pete), and the steam boat, came from a book written by teacher Jan Schenkman in 1850 and the real commercialisation of Sinterklaas began in the 1930s. The feast of St Nicholas has been celebrated for at least 700 years in the Netherlands and, as a Catholic celebration, went underground when it was banned during the Reformation. Of course he immediately became patron saint of prostitutes too. The story of how Saint Nicholas comes at night to deliver presents is based on his generosity to three prostitutes who were tossed sacks of gold for a dowry through the window under cover of night. This goes back to the saint’s skill in piecing back together three children who had been chopped up by an innkeeper and put in a vat of brine. From the 11th century onwards, news of his miracles spread around Western Europe and he became the patron saint of practically every section of society, including children. The man in the mitre is impersonating Saint Nicholas, a 4th century bishop who lived in Myra, in what is now Turkey. Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands this weekend, so if you are a relatively new arrival, here’s a special lesson in the Dutch News inburgering course to bring you up to speed. Inburgerings with Dutch News: Sinterklaas and December 5 NovemPhoto: Photo:
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