12 Facts About Zwarte Piet

Zwarte Piet, known in English by the translated name Black Pete, is the companion of Saint Nicholas in the folklore of the Low Countries.

Those portraying the traditional version of Zwarte Piet usually put on blackface and colourful Renaissance attire in addition to curly wigs and bright red lipstick.

The Zwarte Piet characters appear only in the weeks before the Feast of Saint Nicholas, first when the saint is welcomed with a parade as he arrives in the country.

Zwarte Piet was always accompanied by two black ravens, Huginn and Muninn.

Introduction of Zwarte Piet did coincide, by and large, with a change in the depiction of the Sinterklaas character.

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However, over the course of the 20th century, narratives started to surface that claimed Zwarte Piet was a former slave who had been freed by the saint and had subsequently become his lifelong companion.

One version of the folklore surrounding the character suggests that Zwarte Piet's blackness is due to a permanent layer of soot on his body acquired during his many trips down the chimneys of the homes he visits.

In November 2017, a group of anti-Zwarte Piet demonstrators were prevented from attending a demonstration during a nationally televised celebration in the town of Dokkum after their vehicles were blocked on the A7 motorway by pro-Zwarte Piet demonstrators, 34 of whom were later charged and found guilty of obstructing traffic.

In Eindhoven, anti-Zwarte Piet demonstrators were surrounded by an estimated group of 250 people described as "football hooligans" who attacked them with eggs and shouted racist insults.

Generally, adherents of these groups consider Zwarte Piet to be part of the Dutch colonial heritage, in which black people were subservient to whites or are opposed to what they consider stereotypical black features of the figure including the red lips, curly hair and large golden earrings.

Studies have shown that the perception of Zwarte Piet can differ greatly among different ethnic backgrounds, age groups and regions.

Characterizations of Zwarte Piet were featured in the third season of the American comedy-drama television series Atlanta in 2022.