25 Facts About Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas or Sint-Nicolaas is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children.

Sinterklaas is one of the sources of the popular Christmas icon of Santa Claus.

Sinterklaas is based on the historical figure of Saint Nicholas, a Greek bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey.

Sinterklaas is depicted as an elderly, stately and serious man with white hair and a long, full beard.

Sinterklaas wears a long red cape or chasuble over a traditional white bishop's alb and a sometimes-red stole, dons a red mitre and ruby ring, and holds a gold-coloured crosier, a long ceremonial shepherd's staff with a fancy curled top.

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Sinterklaas carries a big, red book which records whether each child has been good or naughty in the past year.

Sinterklaas is assisted by Zwarte Piet, a helper dressed in Moorish attire and in blackface.

Sinterklaas is typically depicted carrying a bag which contains candy for the children, which he tosses around, a tradition supposedly originating in the story of Saint Nicholas saving three young girls from prostitution by tossing golden coins through their window at night to pay their dowries.

Some older Sinterklaas songs make mention of naughty children being put in Zwarte Piet's bag and being taken back to Spain.

In modern adaptations for television, Sinterklaas has developed a Zwarte Piet for every function, such as a Head Piet, a Navigation Piet to navigate the steamboat from Spain to the Netherlands, a Presents Piet to wrap all the gifts, and Acrobatic Piet to climb roofs and chimneys.

Since the 2010s, the traditions surrounding the holiday of Sinterklaas have been the subject of a growing number of editorials, debates, documentaries, protests and even violent clashes at festivals.

In places a boat cannot reach, Sinterklaas arrives by train, horse, horse-drawn carriage or even a fire truck.

Sinterklaas is said to come from Spain, possibly because in 1087, half of Saint Nicholas' relics were transported to the Italian city of Bari, which later formed part of the Spanish Kingdom of Naples.

Strictly speaking, the poem does not state that Sinterklaas comes from Spain, but that he needs to go to Spain to pick up the oranges and pomegranates.

Sinterklaas is said to ride his white-grey horse over the rooftops at night, delivering gifts through the chimney to the well-behaved children.

Newer treats include gingerbread biscuits or and a figurine of Sinterklaas made of chocolate and wrapped in coloured aluminium foil.

Some say he introduced the images of Sinterklaas' delivering presents by the chimney, riding over the roofs of houses on a grey horse, and arriving from Spain by steamboat, which at that time was an exciting modern invention.

Originally Sinterklaas was only accompanied with one Zwarte Pieten, but just after the liberation of the Netherlands, Canadian soldiers organised a Sinterklaas party with many Zwarte Pieten, and ever since this has been the custom, each Piet normally having his own dedicated task.

Since 2020, the Sinterklaas feast is no longer nationally celebrated in Curacao and has been replaced by Children's Day on 20 November.

Sinterklaas's helpers symbolised Suriname's different ethnic groups, replacing Zwarte Piet.

Sinterklaas is the basis for the North American figure of Santa Claus.

Sinterklaas was apparently assisted by the Dutch because in his pamphlet he included an old Dutch Sinterklaas poem with an English translation.

Sinterklaas has been the subject of a number of Dutch novels, films and television series, primarily aimed at children.

De Club van Sinterklaas is a Sinterklaas-themed soap opera aimed at children.

Sinterklaas appeared in Sesamstraat, the Dutch version of Sesame Street.

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