Sinterklaas

Tonight is the eve of Sinterklaas. In the Dutch tradition, he will go from house to house on his big, white horse leaving presents for good little boys and girls.  For those who end up on the wrong side of the good/bad ledger, his assistant 'Zwarte Piet' or Black Peter comes by to give you a thrashing with a bunch of sticks, before stuffing you in a sack and taking you off to Spain (where Sinterklaas spends the rest of the year). Talk about trying to get your kids to behave!?!

In his family tradition, Rik and his sisters would spend the evening singing special songs and wait for that knock on the door that signified that Sinterklaas had arrived, and also send them into a screaming frenzy running around the house.  The door would then open a crack and Zwarte Piet would throw candies into the house.  Traditionally, they are mostly pepernootjes (small ginger cookies), they would find them all around and sometimes after a few months behind the couch.  Anyway, that night you leave out your shoe with an offering for his horse and hope that in the morning he has filled it with presents and even a chocolate letter.

This afternoon I did some searching on the internet and found some of the traditional Sinterklaas songs and learnt them to surprise Rik when he came home.  Here is one of the songs and a translation.

 Zie ginds komt de stoomboot

uit Spanje weer aan.

Hij brengt ons Sint-Nicolaas

ik zie hem al staan.

Hoe huppelt zijn paardje

op het dek op en neer,

hoe waaien de wimpels

al heen en al weer.

Zijn knecht staat te lachen

en roept ons reeds toe:

"Wie zoet is krijgt lekkers,

wie stout is de roe!"

Och lieve Sint Nicolaas,

kom ook eens bij mij,

en rijd toch ons huisje

niet stil voorbij.

Look here comes the steamboat

from Spain again.

It brings us St. Nicholas, 

I can already see him standing there.

His horse is a-prancing

on deck, up and down,

The banners are waving

back and forth.

His helper stands laughing

and shouts to us take heed

"Who is good gets candies,

who is naughty gets beat with my sticks"

Oh, Saint Nicholas

come also to me

and do not ride 

quietly past our house.

Happy Sinterklaas, Everyone!!