Village Squire, 1977-12, Page 18by the name of Peter who carries the sack with presents. So when
the Saint makes his appearance on Sinterklaas eve. the whole
fancily is ready to receive him. The children have made rhymes to
recite to him. He is all-knowing and fibbing that you have been a
good kid, when in reality you were not, won't do any good. If one
is particularly bad. there is always the chance that Black Peter
dicks you in the empty gift sack. If that happens one must spend
a %. hole year in Spain. If the progress has been satisfactory he
%. ill bring you back the next year on Christmas eve. I have never
lost one of my friends for a whole year, but once I was in the sack
and outside already for doubting the existence of the Holy Man.
It is of course very clear that he can't be in every house for a
visit all in one evening, so on many occasions he just sends Peter
or another servant. But they never show their faces when
Sinterklaas isn't there. One may sit at peace at the table, reading
or playing a game. Unnoticed an older brother or an uncle may
slip out and minutes later there is a commotion at the door. It
opens a crack and handfuls of pepper cookies and other goodies
are thrown usually rather violently into the room.. Mother
screams: "Watch out for the glasses, you nut" and as suddenly
as he was there, he is gone. A minute later big brother comes in
to say how much he regrets it that he was just away that one
minute. Someone is bound to look outside the door and lo and
behold, mothers wash tub is there, full of presents. As they are
one by one unwrapped, each child and adult finds a poem with
the gift and, oh boy, could these poems tell some truths. Some of
the teenagers could easily run away blushing, for some of the
names in those rhymes were often close to the truth.
In the time I am telling about, the good Sint' came always by
steamship, and many a song we sang welcoming him to the
shores of Holland. His horse, for he rode a white horse, pranced
on deck and all flags and vanes on the ship were run out. He rode
the roofs on his white horse and never broke a tile. Presents were
dumped into the chimney, but we never doubted the confusion of
personal presentation. Black Peter's leaving it on the doorstep or
the Sint dropping it down the chimney.
In spite of him being a Bishop, it was strictly a secular festival.
completely removed from Christmas.
The combination of the Sinterklaas festival and Christmas
came about when there occurred a mixture of Dutch and English
culture in what is now New -York and New England. Father
Christmas with his silly hat and jolly face got mixed up with the
very dignified Saint Nicholas with his bishop's miter. A nursery
rhyme put him all mixed up at the North pole and his white horse
was exchanged for reindeer. His name was changed to
Santa -Claus and this is the way we know him here.
It is a pity. in a way, for his jocular, and often drunken
behaviour takes away from the real meaning of Christmas to
such an extent that many don't even know the meaning of
Christmas any more. The meaning being that with all our faults
and shortcomings God loves us enough to let us foster his only
child. 0
plat
16. VILLAGE SQUIRE/DECEMBER 1977.
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