In this collection, you'll find poems about those animals as well as clams, microbes, and even a pirate's parrot! The tasks of the various Zwarte Piets (Zwarte Pieten in Dutch) are mostly to amuse children and to distribute kruidnoten, pepernoten, and other strooigoed (special Sinterklaas-themed sweets) to those who come to meet the saint as he visits schools, stores, and other places. He hosted a "30 Days of Zwarte Piet" debate on his Twitter account last month. The next day they find some candy or a small present in their shoes. [55] However, the number of Dutch people who are willing to change certain details of the character (for example his lips and hair) is reported to be growing. Sinterklaas is said to come from Spain, possibly because in 1087, half of Saint Nicholas' relics were transported to the Italian city of Bari, which later formed part of the Spanish Kingdom of Naples. Sinterklaas is assisted by Zwarte Piet ("Black Pete"), a helper dressed in Moorish attire and in blackface. Windows were smashed, nearby vehicles were vandalized, and fireworks were shot into the building where the group was planning protests in 12 communities that still feature traditional versions of the character. [13] But slaves or not, these dark-skinned characters were very trust-worthy servants, and seem to be similar to the black men in Jan Schenkman's imagery. [45], The Saint Nicholas Society of New York celebrates a feast on 6 December to this day. Sinterklaas (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌsɪntərˈklaːs]) or Sint-Nicolaas (Dutch pronunciation: [sɪnt ˈnikoːlaːs] (listen)) is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. A depiction of Zwarte Piet and Sinterklaas from 1906. In the 19th century, the saint emerged from hiding and the feast became more secularized at the same time. throw [bombs] at the Krauts [37] That November, a group called Kick Out Zwarte Piet were attacked during a meeting. [16][17], The George Floyd protests and subsequent Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the Netherlands in 2020 appear to have had a significant effect on the acceptance of Zwarte Piet's traditional (blackface) appearance among the Dutch public. Many include beautiful illustrations, commentary by ordinary people, and links to recordings, videos, and sheet music. Many of the Sinterklaas poems of this time noted the lack of food and basic necessities, and the German occupiers having taken everything of value; others expressed admiration for the Dutch Resistance. [35] The Royal Air Force (RAF) was often celebrated. St. Nick, or Zwarte Piet, leaves a small present or candy in the shoes. Much of the first half of A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card is about the Sinterklaas tradition, including chapter 4 "Sinterklaas Eve" and 5 "Sinterklaas Day". Throw something in my little shoe, However, up until 1920, several additional publications gave the character other names and depictions that varied considerably. [64] In August 2020, Facebook updated its policies to ban depictions of blackface on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, including traditional blackface depictions of Zwarte Piet. He is depicted as an elderly, stately and serious man with white hair and a long, full beard. These decisions have resulted in protests and violent incidents involving pro-Piet demonstrators (those who endorse the traditional version of the character) and anti-Piet demonstrators (those who endorse a revised version of the character or doing away with him altogether). Some say he introduced the images of Sinterklaas' delivering presents by the chimney, riding over the roofs of houses on a grey horse, and arriving from Spain by steamboat, which at that time was an exciting modern invention. It is entirely possible the holy man had demonic helpers alongside of him long before that. Dank U Sinterklaasje. Hélène Adeline Guerber and others have drawn parallels between Sinterklaas and his helpers and the Wild Hunt of Wodan or Odin,[26] a major god among the Germanic peoples, who was worshipped in Northern and Western Europe prior to Christianization.

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