Happy Sinterklaas out for a beer with Zwarte Piet! Tonight those of us who are Dutch, or of Dutchly heritage, celebrate the eve of St. Nicholas, a holiday much different than American-style Christmas. (Note: American Santa Claus is not derived from any Dutch traditions. See more on that later.) Granted, we were raised on Christmas and do still take part in all the "traditional" American customs related to this holiday, but we are getting tired of the emphasis on spending money at the mall instead of "
giving." In the last few years H & I have researched our heritage, and have been aided with some clues and influence from my Uncle N. & Aunts M & A. In Holland "Christmas" begins in mid-November when St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas) leaves his home in Spain and travels by steamship with his white steed and his helpers, Zwarte Piets (Black Petes). Petes are not necessarily black by way of racial description, but the legends vary and explain his color by claiming that he is black like the Devil (?). Some also claim that Sinterklaas's helpers are black the same way that fairies are green: no one really knows why. Legend also has it that the Piets are black from the soot of the chimneys that they crawl down to deliver treats of candy and fruit for good children who have left their clompens (wooden shoes) by the front door, a window, or the fireplace, filled with carrots and hay for Sinterklaas' steed. When I was a little boy my great uncles would tell me that if I didn't behave the Zwarte Piets would come take me and my brothers away in a bag. Let me tell you, the threat of Zwarte Piets coming to take us away in the night was a much more effective tool than telling us Santa would bring us coal!! There is no real magic in the Sinterklaas tale (a la, no wink of the eye or scratch of the nose as with Santa), and there is only one actual Sinterklaas, who arrives in a Dutch port city on December 5th. He has many "PR" engagements during the day but that evening he and hundreds of his Zwarte Piet helpers deliver the treats to well-behaved children. Most of the good fun of Sinterklaas Eve comes not from any of the legends or myths surrounding it, but rather comes from the wholesome gifting, eating, and drinking of the holiday. Every person's table setting is marked by a chocolate initial from their first name. Bisschopswijn (Bishops' wine) is consumed and folks nibble on an aged, sweetened whiskey soaked raisins called
Boerenjongens (translation: farm boys). There is a lot of baking going on and we'll enjoy Dutch windmill or gingerbread-like cookies known as speculaas. These
almond cookies (Gevulde koeken) are my favorite, and I'll get them fresh in
Sussex, NJ, at the Holland American Bakery. H makes some wonderful
pepernoten (ginger nuts), which are tiny cookies that the Piets throw to the children to announce the arrival of Sinterklaas. Pehaps my favorite Dutch recipe is the
Oliebollen, which are bits of deep-fried dough covered with powdered sugar. Best eaten steaming hot! My aunt A. always made these for us at Christmas and I am just now trying to match hers.
Christmas in America has sadly shifted its focus from the a religious holiday to loading up yer SUV at the mall. However, it's not as if Christmas is such an old holiday. Get ready to be shocked! When do you suppose we started celebrating Christmas in the United States?
Pilgrims? 1700s? No, try post-Civil War America. When Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, there was no Santa Claus and Christmas wasn't even a national holiday until the 1880s. Washington Irving, the author of the
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, basically invented the holiday of Christmas around 1820, with his book
Christmas. Learn all about the
history and origin of Santa Claus. Irving didn't like all the partying and drinking that was going on following the annual fall harvest season, when folks had a lot of extra time on their hands to raise a raucous. So Irving and his Knickerbocker gang set out to establish some more wholesome traditions for the yuletide season. Perhaps he was successful, but many would agree it has backfired in modern times. Hey, it's a great time for the retail economy and Madison Avenue, but nowadays too many of us fight too hard to "get the perfect gift." Good grief, I'm rambling!!
So back to Sinterklaas: The practice of gift giving for the Dutch involves a simple treat or small item of interest to the receiver (not a Lexus or a Carnival Cruise, dammit!) The gift giver hides the loot somewhere that is usually difficult to find, or in a strange place such as inside a flour sack or buried in a jar of jam in the back of the fridge. The gift giver leaves clues throughout the house and the receiver must trace those clues to find the gift. Even more fun is the poem that the giver has to write about the recipient and that gets attached to the gift. The poem is supposed to poke some lighthearted fun at the receiver, based on experiences they have shared over the past year. The receiver of the poem is supposed to read it aloud to the entire gathering and upon completion thank not the provider of the poem but to exclaim "Thank you Sinterklaas!!" The whole process takes some quality time to enjoy and is to be savored. If you have an opinion or comment about how you like to celebrate please leave us a post below.
Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!!
