I think I'm late, but the sentiment is still the same.  Happy Sinterklaas to those that celebrate it. 

I thought that was another name for Santa Claus  :-\\

Dank U well.

Hey Mike its a Dutch thing....don't know if other cultures do it too... on the fifth of Dec. you leave a shoe out and the dutch Santa Claus leaves a toy in it for you... Santa gives better gifts than Sinterklaas...cuz you can fit more under a tree than in a little kids shoe...who thought of that?

Sinterklaas had his own "elf" Black Pete (Zwarte Piet)

I was terrified of him because of this:


wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas
Children are told that Black Pete enters the house through the chimney, which also explains his black face and hands, and would leave a bundle of sticks (roe) or a small bag with salt in the shoe instead of candy when the child had been bad.

Children are also told that in the worst case they would be put in the gunny sack in which Black Pete carries the presents, and be taken back to Spain, where Sinterklaas is said to spend the rest of the year

Hey Mike its a Dutch thing....don't know if other cultures do it too... on the fifth of Dec. you leave a shoe out and the dutch Santa Claus leaves a toy in it for you... Santa gives better gifts than Sinterklaas...cuz you can fit more under a tree than in a little kids shoe...who thought of that?
I'm lazy. ::)  I could have looked it up, but hoped someone would do it for me. thank you


Sinterklaas had his own "elf" Black Pete (Zwarte Piet)

I was terrified of him because of this:

Zwarte Piet  :o  he's scary

Hey Mike its a Dutch thing....don't know if other cultures do it too... on the fifth of Dec. you leave a shoe out and the dutch Santa Claus leaves a toy in it for you... Santa gives better gifts than Sinterklaas...cuz you can fit more under a tree than in a little kids shoe...who thought of that?


Sinterklaas is also celebrated in Belgium (the same way it is celebrated in The Netherlands, that is). I know other regions/countries celebrate Saint Nicholas too, but in a different way/with different traditions.

The "leaving your shoe out"- part is partly correct. Children can leave their shoe out (near the chimney or central heating) every evening between the arrival of Sinterklaas in The Netherlands (usu. the 3rd Saturday in November) and Pakjesavond (December 5th). Zwarte Piet will climb down the chimney to leave a small present. (Of course, nowadays children don't want small presents anymore, so a lot of parents discourage their kids to put their shoes out every day...)
On December 5th, we celebrate Pakjesavond. That's when the big presents come out, traditionally wrapped up in surprise packages (with a poem to ridicule the receiver and amuse the others). But whenever December 5th is a weekday, most people choose to celebrate it in the weekend before that (seeing that December 6th is not a national holiday - and it is predominantly a children's feast).

Happy Sinterklaas

...and it is not celebrated over here in the UK

Sinterklaas is also celebrated in Belgium (the same way it is celebrated in The Netherlands, that is). I know other regions/countries celebrate Saint Nicholas too, but in a different way/with different traditions.

The "leaving your shoe out"- part is partly correct. Children can leave their shoe out (near the chimney or central heating) every evening between the arrival of Sinterklaas in The Netherlands (usu. the 3rd Saturday in November) and Pakjesavond (December 5th). Zwarte Piet will climb down the chimney to leave a small present. (Of course, nowadays children don't want small presents anymore, so a lot of parents discourage their kids to put their shoes out every day...)
On December 5th, we celebrate Pakjesavond. That's when the big presents come out, traditionally wrapped up in surprise packages (with a poem to ridicule the receiver and amuse the others). But whenever December 5th is a weekday, most people choose to celebrate it in the weekend before that (seeing that December 6th is not a national holiday - and it is predominantly a children's feast).



Hey I think I got gyped! My parents hever did Pakjesavond so I never got the big present  >:(  it was probably too much for them... Sinterklaas then my birthday and then Christmas... I always just got the chocolate coins and some small puzzle, book or game in my shoe on the 5th....

Gelukkige Sinterklaas, onze vrienden.



Cat

Happy Sinterklaas!

Hey I think I got gyped! My parents hever did Pakjesavond so I never got the big present  >:(   it was probably too much for them... Sinterklaas then my birthday and then Christmas... I always just got the chocolate coins and some small puzzle, book or game in my shoe on the 5th....


What..? You didn't even get the traditional chocolate initial? :o Somebody has some explaining to do...



Thanks all for the kind wishes, although it's not a national holiday today (or yesterday) and there's no traditional wishes for the day either. Well, not like Christmas or New Year's Day anyway.

So we used to put a pair of slippers out and get a new pair with either a chocolate initial (so a G for me) or a bag of chocolate coins and a satsuma orange in them. My Mum is from the German/Dutch border so maybe it was slightly different there. Zwarte Pieter used to come and collect the naughty children in a big sack and carry them away apparently!

Since we're doing International Holiday Wishes, here:

Merry Christmas!
Gelukkige Sinterklaas!
Buon Natale!
Joyeux Noel!
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
M'dinga mutaka!

And for our friends in Harlem:

Gimme dat present, mo' fo'!

And for our friends in Harlem:

Gimme dat present, mo' fo'!
i'm refraining from comment.

So we used to put a pair of slippers out and get a new pair with either a chocolate initial (so a G for me) or a bag of chocolate coins and a satsuma orange in them. My Mum is from the German/Dutch border so maybe it was slightly different there.


Presents (small or big ones), chocolate initials, chocolate coins....all part of the tradition. And let's not forget the songs you had to sing (to please Sinterklaas and his helpers).


Zwarte Pieter used to come and collect the naughty children in a big sack and carry them away apparently!


That's part of the tradition as well, although it's pretty obvious this doesn't really happen (even to children). I mean...those kids that bullied you at school were obviously being naughty, but they were still there on December 6th... :-\\

What..? You didn't even get the traditional chocolate initial? :o Somebody has some explaining to do...



Thanks all for the kind wishes, although it's not a national holiday today (or yesterday) and there's no traditional wishes for the day either. Well, not like Christmas or New Year's Day anyway.


I did get the letter some years but not every year... My initials are TQ I always got a T cuz my mom could never find the Q... the Q is the most important letter in my identity so I never really got excited when I saw a T...not even a chocolate one!  ;D

And for our friends in Harlem:

Gimme dat present, mo' fo'!


That's not funny.

I did get the letter some years but not every year... My initials are TQ I always got a T cuz my mom could never find the Q... the Q is the most important letter in my identity so I never really got excited when I saw a T...not even a chocolate one!  ;D



So maybe I should've bought you one this year...Provided I could find one (yes, your mother was right...they're extremely rare, as are the X'es).

That's not funny.

Hey, I lived in the heart of Cleveland, and that is indeed how they spoke there.

Many yrs. ago, I had a pen pal from Harlem. He actually was the one who first taught me that line.
Therefore, since he gave me permission to say it, I am now saying it.

Hey, I lived in the heart of Cleveland, and that is indeed how they spoke there.

Many yrs. ago, I had a pen pal from Harlem. He actually was the one who first taught me that line.
Therefore, since he gave me permission to say it, I am now saying it.


didn't offend me wayne... tho mo' fo may be a bit dated now  ;D

Hey, I lived in the heart of Cleveland, and that is indeed how they spoke there.

Many yrs. ago, I had a pen pal from Harlem. He actually was the one who first taught me that line.
Therefore, since he gave me permission to say it, I am now saying it.


Cleveland = Harlem?  ???

Cleveland = Harlem?  ???
you know, all this gerrymandered redistricting is REALLY getting out of hand! >:(

you know, all this gerrymandered redistricting is REALLY getting out of hand! >:(
;D

Cleveland = Harlem?  ???


In some ways, yes, it is equal to Harlem.
Example- where I lived with my grandparents, there were maybe 10 White families in a 5-mile radius.
No foolin'.