Netherlands Edition
World Shared Festival Table Day leads today's complete edition for Netherlands.
Daily Edition
Official observances, world days, local context, and everyday celebrations for people who need something worth reading, sharing, or talking about today.
A day for the food, music, cleaning, decorating, travel, and welcome that turn an ordinary date into a gathering.
The Sinterklaas arrives from Spain on a steamboat in mid-November, and he is accompanied by his helpers (the Zwarte Pieten, or Black Peters). The arrival is broadcast live on national television, and the children line the canals and the streets to welcome the Sinterklaas. The Sinterklaas rides a white horse (Amerigo), and the Zwarte Pieten throw pepernoten (small spice cookies) and candy into the crowd. The arrival is the start of the Sinterklaas season, which lasts until December 5th (the pakjesavond). The arrival of Sinterklaas is one of the most beloved traditions in the Netherlands, and the children are excited for weeks. The Zwarte Piet controversy has been a source of heated debate in the Netherlands, with critics arguing that the blackface tradition is racist and defenders arguing that it is a harmless cultural tradition.
The Sinterklaas is the most important holiday in the Netherlands, and the season lasts from the arrival of Sinterklaas in mid-November until the pakjesavond on December 5th. The tradition is to set your shoe by the fireplace (or the radiator), and the Sinterklaas will fill it with chocolate, pepernoten (small spice cookies), and mandarijntjes (mandarin oranges). The children also leave a carrot and a bowl of water for the horse (Amerigo). The Sinterklaas season is a time of excitement and anticipation, and the children sing Sinterklaas songs every night before bed. The highlight of the Sinterklaas season is the pakjesavond (gift evening) on December 5th, when the families exchange gifts that are wrapped in surprise packages (the more creative, the better) and accompanied by a poem that makes fun of the recipient. The Sinterklaas is not just a holiday. It is the Dutch Christmas, and it is the most beloved tradition in the Netherlands.
