Sinterklaas

5 Dec 2010 - Today is a special day for the Dutch all over the world, because it is ":Sinterklaas". Wikipedia says that Sinterklaas is a "traditional Winter holiday figure", whose birthday is celebrated annually in The Netherlands on 5th of December. Traditionally Sinterklaas arrives mid November by steamboat from Spain. He parades through the street on a white horse, and he is accompanied by an army of black men, called Zwarte Pieten. The Zwarte Pieten (his helpers) throw candy and gingerbread cookies around, while the Dutch children sing their traditional songs like "Sinterklaas Kapoentje" (I cannot translate that). Sinterklaas always visits schools, hospitals and shopping centers. Dutch children are told by their parents that Sinterklaas will put them in a bag and take them to Spain, if they don't behave well. However, if they do behave well they receive presents on the 5th December. I have never heard a child taken to Spain - in modern times this would probably be called "kidnap":