What is Sinterklaas? – Choc Affair (2024)

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What is Sinterklaas? – Choc Affair? ›

Sinterklaas is a traditional Dutch holiday celebrated on December 5th. The holiday is named after Saint Nicholas and celebrates his life and work. Traditionally, Sinterklaas would bring gifts to children on the eve of his feast day, December 6th.

If the children were good, they would get presents, if they were bad, they would get whipped, if the children were really bad, they would be put in bags, and brought to Spain. Finally, Dec. 6, and Sinterklaas is over, and the children return to their everyday life.

Sinterklaas is the basis for the North American figure of Santa Claus. It is often claimed that during the American War of Independence, the inhabitants of New York City, a former Dutch colonial town (New Amsterdam), reinvented their Sinterklaas tradition, as Saint Nicholas was a symbol of the city's non-English past.

At many Dutch Sinterklaas Eve parties, the very last surprise in Sinterklaas' special burlap sack, is chocolate initials, the first letter of each person's name. There will be one for each person—the first given to the youngest child, then on up to the oldest person present.

Before going to bed in the evening children put their shoes next to the fireplace or outside the front door in the hopes that Sinterklaas will leave a sweet treat in their shoe. In their shoe, they leave a carrot or some hay and a bowl of water nearby "for Sinterklaas' horse", and the children sing a Sinterklaas song.

While St. Nicholas rewards nice children by leaving presents, Krampus beats those who are naughty with branches and sticks. In some cases, he is said to eat them or take them to hell. On December 6, St.

Indeed, in some cultures, Santa doesn't just stop at coal, but also leaves bundles of twigs, bags of salt, and garlic and onions to naughty children- we're not sure which one we'd least want to get!

This is the celebration where children are transformed into Kings and Queens and honored as the bringers of the light at the darkest time of year. The tradition of Sinterklaas comes all the way from the Netherlands, brought by Dutch settlers who arrived in Rhinebeck over 300 years ago.

Santa Claus is the American version of Sinterklaas, as is clearly revealed by his name: Santa Claus is a corruption of the Dutch Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas) or Sinterklaas. Besides the name, there are other similarities. Both are old, white men who distribute sacks of gifts in December, especially to children.

How do the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas? Every year, as the day of December 5 rolls into the evening, families across the Netherlands come together to celebrate the tradition of Sinterklaas.

What do Dutch children leave out for Santa? ›

On the evening that Sinterklaas arrives in The Netherlands, children leave a shoe out by the fireplace or sometimes a windowsill and sing Sinterklaas songs. They hope that Sinterklaas will come during the night with some presents.

The Dutch St. Nicholas myth generally holds that Santa Claus (Sinterklaas) lives in Spain, and then travels by steamboat every year to Holland in mid-November and spends weeks crisscrossing the country handing out gifts.

Hagelslag (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦaːɣəlˌslɑx]) are small, oblong, sweet-tasting chocolate granules, which are sprinkled on slices of buttered bread or rusks. The name refers to hail, hagelslag meaning hailstorm. Dark chocolate hagelslag sprinkles on buttered bread.

Before going to bed, children each leave a single shoe next to the fireplace or a door, with a carrot for Sinterklaas' horse. The next day they find little gifts left by Sinteklauss. Traditional treats include mandarins and oranges, baked pastry letters and more recently chocolate letters.

Typical Sinterklaas treats are pepernoten & kruidnoten (small round gingerbread cookies), chocolate letters, speculaas and marzipan candy.

In the days leading up to the 5th of December, children put their shoes in front of the fire (or the radiator) in the hope that Sinterklaas will fill it with a small present or a chocolate goody. Some children think they can get around the Sint by leaving a carrot for the bishop's horse, accompanied by a wish list.

On Christmas Eve, Krampus travels with a sack or a basket strapped to his back; this is to cart off evil children for drowning, eating, or transport to Hell. Some of the older versions make mention of naughty children being put in the bag and taken away.

Belsnickel is a man wearing furs and sometimes a mask with a long tongue. He is typically very ragged and disheveled. He wears torn, tattered, and dirty clothes, and he carries a switch in his hand with which to beat naughty children, but also pocketsful of cakes, candies, and nuts for good children.

According to tradition, Knecht Ruprecht asks children whether they can pray. If they can, they receive apples, nuts and gingerbread. If they cannot, he hits the children with his bag of ashes.

The children fill the shoes with carrots, or hay for the horse of Saint Nicholas. Before the children go to sleep, they often sing a Sinterklaas song next to their shoe. Hoping that the next morning they will find that the carrot and drawings are removed and the shoe is filled with sweets or a gift instead.