A Dutch Holiday Celebration: Sinterklaas
While the major wintertime celebration in most countries is held on December 25th, here in the Netherlands we start mid-November with Sinterklaas! Curious to learn more about this traditional Dutch celebration?
The origins of Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas is based on the historical figure of Saint Nicholas who lived in the 4th century and was the bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey. He is known as the patron of children and is depicted as an elderly man with white hair and a long, white beard.
Did you know?
Sinterklaas is one of the sources of the popular Christmas icon of Santa Claus, having first appeared in the New World soon after the Dutch voyaged to the Americas.
In the Netherlands, the common practice is that Sinterklaas comes first, followed by Christmas. Consequently, two unique and independent holiday festivities exist in the country.
The celebrations – De intocht
Sinterklaas (who lives in Spain) arrives by boat with his helpers, the so called ‘Pieten’ on a Saturday mid-November, every year in the harbour of a Dutch City. The official arrival place (also broadcasted on national television) varies from year to year. This celebration is called ‘De intocht van Sinterklaas’. Of course, Sinterklaas also ‘arrives’ throughout the whole country during that weekend. Here in The Hague, Sinterklaas arrives each year in the harbour of Scheveningen and then makes a big riding tour on his fellow horse throughout the city of The Hague. It is a colourful tour, filled with Pieten, music and the traditional Sinterklaas candy ‘pepernoten’. The festivities begin the day Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands!
The celebrations – Two weeks of festivities
During the two weeks before his birthday, Sinterklaas rides his white horse across roofs at night and placing small gifts ‘schoencadeautjes’ (shoe gifts) and sweets in well-behaved children’s shoes. It is customary for kids to sing a Sinterklaas-song and to leave a shoe out with a carrot for the horse at nighttime by the fireplace. In the morning the kids hope to find a nice gift or a chocoladeletter in their shoe! A ‘chocoladeletter’ is another typical Sinterklaas treat. This letter which children receive is made from chocolate and is usually the first letter of the children’s first name.
During these two weeks, Sinterklaas can pop up on the streets, but also on schools, and in TV shows and movies. Het Sinterklaasjournaal, is probably the most popular show among kids. In this daily news flash, we follow the adventures of Sinterklaas and his Pieten until the birthday of Sinterklaas on December 5th. It can be useful to let your child watch Het Sinterklaasjournaal as a lot of his friends at school, and maybe even his teacher might talk about it.
Good to know for parents: Het Sinterklaasjournaal (ntr.nl)
The celebrations – Pakjesavond on December 5th
‘Pakjesavond’, which translates to “gift evening”, is simply what the Dutch call the night of December 5th, the birthday of Sinterklaas. To celebrate, Sinterklaas and his Pieten bring presents, candies, and chocolate letters to the children, but sometimes also to the older ones. This day is typically marked by Sinterklaas music, pepernoten, poetry, and presents. Especially when friends and families get together to exchange gifts or poems that they've written about each other, known as a surprise. They might play games on pakjesavond, and enjoy eating all of the delicious sweets and snacks that are tradition at this time of year.
Is Sinterklaas a public holiday in the Netherlands?
While Sinterklaas is definitely a Dutch institution, it is sadly is not an official public holiday. Schools stay open and if you have a job, you will be expected to work. However, as it’s a pretty special day, schools normally close at midday, and many parents finish work early in order to go home and spend time with their children and families.