Who is Sinterklaas? Where does he come from? Where did he live and why is he famous? and What does he have to do with Holland?
Personal details
Name: Nicholas of Myra (also known as Nicholas of Bari)
Popular Names: Sinterklaas and Santa Claus
Distinguishing features: long white hair, beard and mustache; deep voice; since the 17th century sometimes wears glasses
Clothing: a bishop’s outfit composed of a red stole over a white cassock, a long red cape with golden embroidery, a mitre-shaped red hat with gold trim and applique cross, a long golden shepherd’s staff, gloves and quite a few jewelled rings.
Year of Birth: 271 A.D.
Birth Place: Patara, Turkey (a port town)
Residence: Spain
Profession: miracle-worker and protector of children, sailors, unmarried girls, merchants and those wrongly accused of crimes
Date of Death: December 6th, 342 or 343 A.D.
Burial spot: Myra, in the southwest of present-day Turkey
Feast Day: December 6th (but traditionally celebrated on the evening of December 5th)
Major achievements: survived the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s dungeons; became Archbishop of Myra; attended the Council of Nicaea of 325; was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church; was reburied in 1087 in a mausoleum specially built for his remains in Bari, Italy; became internationally famous from the 10th century onwards; started the Santa Claus tradition in North America; and turned the eve of his feast day into the Netherlands’ most enjoyable tradition.
His best-loved miracles and good deeds
• Gave marriage dowries of gold to three girls who were so poor they would have been forced into prostitution if they hadn’t got married (the gold pieces he threw into their window landed in the stockings the girls had hung up by the fireplace to dry)
• Restored to life three children who had been chopped up by a butcher and put in a tub of brine to turn them into pickled meat during a famine (he fished the pieces out of the vat, put them back together and prayed to God…suddenly the children came back to life without even a scar!)
• Calmed a storm at sea, thereby saving three castaways who had been unjustly condemned to death (he appeared to them in the clouds and calmed the angry waves with his staff)
Sinterklaas and Santa Claus
Brought to America by Dutch colonists in the 17th century, Sinterklaas was adopted by the English-speaking community under the name of Santa Claus. Ever since then he has remained the patron of the gift-giving festivity of Christmas. In the United Kingdom, Sinterklaas and Santa Claus are known as Father Christmas. For more information about the history of Sinterklaas and how December 5th is celebrated, go to The Feast of Saint Nicholas.
A year in the life of Sinterklaas
January
Sinterklaas enjoys a well-deserved holiday. Black Peter (Zwarte Piet) deals with faulty goods and asks toy manufacturers to send in estimates for next December5th.
February – early November
Sinterklaas records children’s behaviour throughout the year in his red book and has presents made for next December 5th
Early November
Departure for the Netherlands from Spain by steamboat in the company of his helper Black Peter (“Zwarte Piet”) and his milk-white horse.
Mid-November
They arrive in the Netherlands amidst great pomp and circumstance and ride in welcoming parades throughout the country
Mid-November – 4 December
Race against the clock! By day Sinterklaas and a host of Black Peters parade the streets scattering goodies and trinkets; by night Sinterklaas and his tireless helper ride Schimmel to all the rooftops in the land. Sinterklaas drops chocolate letters, marzipan figures and other sweets and small presents down the chimneys for children who have been good all year. They fall into the childrens’ shoes, set by the fireplace and filled with a carrot or some straw for Sinterklaas’ horse.
5 December, daytime
More presents! Sinterklaas and Peter go about cities, towns and villages and personally deliver larger presents. After asking if there are any naughty children at home (answer: Neeee!) or any good children (answer: Jaaaa!), they leave the presents by the slightly opened front doors of each household and throw a few more sweets inside just for good measure.
5 December, evening
Both grown-ups and children exchange gifts called “surprises”. These are accompanied by original but anonymous poems which make gentle fun of the habits, character and recent life of the recipient and which the recipient must read aloud in front of everyone. Sometimes a treasure hunt for the surprises is involved. Traditional sweets and baked goods are eaten and the adults drink mulled wine
(for recipes go to “Sinterklaas” Recipes).
Sinterklaas, Peter and Schimmel return to their home in Spain and start preparing for next year!
