S-for Sinterklaas , by JoAnn's D-Eyes/ Holland

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S .....Waiting for SINTERKLAAS....

ABC My S for today is for SINTERKLAAS

Above: Waiting for the Arrival of Sinterklaas, in the Harbor of Naarden...

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Sinterklaas traditionally arrives each year in November (usually on Saturday) by steamboat from Spain, Invariably, this event is broadcast live on national television in the Netherlands and Belgium. After this arrival all towns with a dock have their own intocht van Sinterklaas (arrival of Sinterklaas). Local arrivals usually takes place on Sunday, the day after he arrives in the Netherlands or Belgium. In places a boat cannot reach, Sinterklaas arrives by train, bus, horse or even carriage.

Above: The Burgomaster of Naarden is welcoming Sinterklaas with a speech.

Above: Sinterklaas on the Podium with the Burgomaster of Naarden

above: Sinterklaas walking in his white horse through the streets of Naarden.
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Meaning of Dutch Sinterklaas

The Sinterklaas feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas (280-342), patron saint of children. Saint Nicholas was a Greek bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey and became the patron saint of children based on various legends that include resurrecting children from death and saving them from prostitution. Sinterklaas has a long white beard, wears a red bishop's dress and red mitre (bishop's hat), and holds a crosier, a long gold coloured staff with a fancy curled top. Sinterklaas carries a big book with all the children's names in it, which states whether they have been naughty or nice in the past year.The temper of Sinterklaas also differs in the some regions of the Netherlands and Belgium. In the Netherlands Sinterklaas is usually a nice, forgiving person. In Belgium, on the other hand, Sinterklaas is less forgiving (like he used to be in the Netherlands). He can be quite severe and takes naughty children back to Spain when they were not nice. "Saint-Nicolas" rides
a white horse.

SINTERKLAAS His Zwarte Piet (black Pete's) helpers, throw candy's and small, round ginger bread-like cookies, kruidnoten or pepernoten, into the crowd. The children welcome him by singing traditional Sinterklaas songs. Sinterklaas also visits schools, hospitals and shopping centres.

Above and under: Music Petes, were playing fantastic music in the parade...

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Above:More music "Zwarte Piet/black Petes"*

Meaning of "Zwarte Piet"

Sinterklaas is assisted by many mischievous helpers with black faces and colourful outfits, modelled after 16th century Spanish clothing. These helpers are called Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes) in Dutch . During the Middle Ages, Zwarte Piet was a name for the devil. Having triumphed over evil, it was said that on Saint Nicholas' eve, the devil was shackled and made his slave. Although the character of Black Pete later came to acquire racial connotations, his origins were in 'the devil'figure. This racialisation is reflected in the reworking of the characters' mythos. From about 1850, Pete was said to be an imported African servant of Saint Nicholas.[citation needed] Today however, a more politically correct explanation is given: Pete's face is said to be "black from soot" (as Pete has to climb down chimneys to deliver his gifts).
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Above Left: An Old stryle car (from the musical GREASE ) Above Right:A "Grease-style " dressed girl in the parade..All very welldone even the (small) children-dancers were all dressed up "Grease -style"and they danced very well on "Grease" Music!
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Above and under : Hundreds of Schoolchildren from NAARDEN, were nervous weeks ahead because they join the parade for the Sinterklaas evening...
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Above:.....On SINTERKLAAS 's arrival-evening he is paraded through the streets, welcomed by cheering and singing and dancing children in Naarden.....
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True or not?

Children are also told that in the worst case they would be put in the gunny sack in which Black Pete carries the presents, and be taken back to Spain, where Sinterklaas is said to spend the rest of the year. This practice, however, has been condemned by Sinterklaas in his more recent television appearances as something of the past. Typical of that time was also the fact that the saint would have the names of every child written down in either his "golden book" (if a child had been good), or his "black book" (if a child had been bad) - very much like
Odin's ravens reporting everything in the world to him. The standard joke would be that initially Sinterklaas would not be able to find the name in the "golden book", trying to scare the children. With modern views on child psychology, these practises have been abandoned as well. (source wikipedia)

Above: left Sinterklaas - Middle statue Sinterclaes- Right: Black Pete.

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Bye Sinterklaas and Black Pete, seeing you back next year! We were having a wonderfull evening last weekend with the arrival of Sinterklaas! We were there with family and their smaal children in the age of 6-8 "just looking at their excited faces" that was what it made this evening very succesfull.

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Thank you 'so much for your comments.