When we were at Ikea in the Netherlands a couple of weeks ago, Sinterklaas and his companion Zwarte Piet (for the record - black because he climbs down chimneys) were there too. Obviously not shopping for Swedish furniture, but handing out candy to the kinderen. Every time I tried to take their picture, they would turn so this is the best I could do. Camera shy, I guess.
And these I saw window shopping in Hasselt.
However, on Wikipedia, there is a much better view.
According to legend, both here and in the Netherlands, Sinterklaas, along with Zwarte Piet, give presents to all good children on the eve of Dec 5 (Netherlands) and Dec 6 (Flanders - where we live).
BTW, that's today!
Do they celebrate on the 25th, too? Are there any manger scenes or references to the birth of Christ?
ReplyDeleteHow was the Ikea?
ReplyDeleteHa, were you in my old Ikea in Breda? :) I used to see many BE licence plates there on weekends. My whole house was basically kitted out there and I spent many Saturday AMs pushing through crowds to get my 1 EUR breakfast. (Yes, I made like a local Dutch cheapo - when in Rome.) Until NL banned indoor smoking in summer 2008, the Ikea cafe was a place to witness wrinkled grannies blowing cig smoke more or less in their grandchildren's faces. As for Sinterklaas, my Toronto friends enjoy the souvenir literature I saved from V&D's annual flyer... Aryan children in blackface, anyone? And I don't buy the innocent chimney soot thing. Sinterklaas had slaves. Anyway, I'm enjoying your blog (a trip down memory lane for me) and hope you're enjoying life in beautiful Flanders.
ReplyDelete