Mythological & Legendary Figures Codexery

Sinterklaas

Legendary Dutch gift-giver based on Saint Nicholas, patron of children.

Last updated

The feast celebrates his name day on 6 December with gift-giving on 5 December in the Netherlands and on 6 December in Belgium, Luxembourg, western Germany, and northern France.[1] The figure of Sinterklaas originates from Saint Nicholas, who lived from 270 to 343 and served as a Greek bishop in Myra, located in what is now Turkey.[2] Aruba, a former Dutch territory, also celebrates the Sinterklaas tradition.[1][3]

Key facts and history

He is assisted by Zwarte Piet, a helper in Moorish attire with a black-painted face, who first appeared in print in 1850 in Jan Schenkman's book.[4] The modern children's feast was likely confirmed by Schenkman's 1850 illustrated book Sint-Nicolaas en zijn knecht.[5] During the Reformation, Protestant reformers like Martin Luther changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child and moved gift-giving from 6 December to Christmas Eve.[6][7] After the liberation, Canadian soldiers organized a Sinterklaas party with many Zwarte Pieten, establishing the custom of multiple Pieten with dedicated tasks.[8]

Sinterklaas appears as an older, serious man with white hair and a full, long beard, dressed in a red cape or chasuble over a white bishop's alb, a red stole, a red mitre, a ruby ring, and a gold crosier.[2] Between 1940 and 1945, when the Netherlands was under German occupation, traditional Sinterklaas rhymes were adapted to comment on current events and to praise the Royal Air Force.[9][10]

What the cited sources add

The Aruba.com account states that Sinterklaas arrives in Aruba by boat weeks before 5 December, welcomed by families along the waterfront.[3] In Aruba, children may leave their shoes by the door with a carrot for Sinterklaas' horse in the days leading up to 5 December.[3] The celebration in Aruba culminates on 5 December, known as Sinterklaasavond.[3] The St. Nicholas Center account describes Sinterklaas' arrival in Amsterdam on a Sunday in mid-November, with the steamboat mooring at the Maritime Museum around 11:30 am.[11]

The procession includes Sinterklaas accompanied by many Pieten, brass bands, and floats, and begins the shopping season before the gift-giving day.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sinterklaas: Saint Nicolas Celebration in Aruba", aruba.com, 6 December 2024 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sinterklaas" , Landelijk Centrum voor Cultuur van Alledag (LECA) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Sinterklaas: Saint Nicolas Celebration in Aruba", aruba.com, 6 December 2024. facts only, no text reused. aruba.com
  4. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: E. Boer-Dirks, "Nieuw licht op Zwarte Piet. Een kunsthistorisch antwoord op de vraag naar de herkomst", Volkskundig Bulletin, 19 (1993), pp. 1–35; 2–4, 10, 14. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hauptfleisch, "Festivalising!: Theatrical Events, Politics and Culture", International Federation for Theatre Research, 2007, p. 291 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Forbes, Bruce David, Christmas: a candid history, University of California Press, 2007, , pp. 68–79.; Köhler, "Martin Luther und der Festbrauch, Cologne, 1959"; "Martin Luther soll das Christkind erfunden haben", Stiftung Luthergedenkstätten in Sachsen-Anhalt – Staatliche Geschäftsstelle "Luther 2017" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Forbes, "Christmas: A Candid History", University of California Press, 2007, p. 68–79 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sijs, Nicoline van der (2009) Cookies, Coleslaw, and Stoops. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. p. 254. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Some of these were collected, published in 2009 by Hinke Piersma, a researcher at the Dutch Institute for War Documentation. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Sinterklaas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Budde, "Hitler heeft den strijd gestart, maar aan 't eind krijgt hij de gard", De Volkskrant, 4 December 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. "Sinterklaas Arrival—Amsterdam, the Netherlands", St. Nicholas Center, 2008. facts only, no text reused. stnicholascenter.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sinterklaas (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Mythological & Legendary Figures

KrampusLech, Czech, and RusMarianneMephistophelesMomotarōNasreddinNezhaPandavaPaul BunyanPied Piper of HamelinRobin HoodSanta Claus

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →