Paul and I went to the Market Square today to watch the arrival of Sinterklaas on his horse and Zwarte Pieten (gliding down from the rooftop of the town hall) in Den Bosch. Halfway through November there is a big spectacle when the Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands. Television crews await his arrival from Spain at a port where he docks his steam boat full of presents, Zwarte Pieten [Black Piet] , and his horse. They are welcomed by a huge crowd of children and parents.
Sinterklaas simultaneously arrives at every city or village in the Netherlands. Suspicious thinking children who understand the impossibility of simultaneous sightings of Sinterklaas discover that this grand event unfolds with the help of "hulp-Sinterklazen" (people who help Sinterklaas by dressing up like him). Sinterklaas goes on a tour through the village accompanied by several Zwarte Pieten, who throw different types of sweets around and on the ground for children. After this day, Sinterklaas begins his assessment of all the children's behaviour in the past year, and proceeds to hand out presents. It culminates on the evening of December 5.
Sinterklaas is said to have originated from St. Nicolaus, the Bishop of Mira, Turkey, who did good things for children. Instead of living in the North Pole as the American Santa does, Sinterklaas lives in Spain, it seems. How it came to be that Sinterklaas lives in Spain is a mystery, but hey, it beats the north pole!
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