Posts : 581 Join date : 2012-04-21 Location : California
Subject: Happy St. Nicholas Day Thu Dec 05, 2013 8:31 pm
Happy St. Nicholas Day!
_________________ I read part of it all the way through. Samuel Goldwyn
Penski Moderator
Posts : 1804 Join date : 2012-04-22 Age : 62 Location : Northern California
Subject: Re: Happy St. Nicholas Day Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:45 pm
Curious what countries celebrate St Nicholas day and how...
_________________ h "Do you ever get the feeling that nothing right is ever going to happen to us again?" - Kid Curry
Remuda
Posts : 136 Join date : 2013-10-27 Age : 48
Subject: Re: Happy St. Nicholas Day Thu Dec 05, 2013 10:36 pm
Happy Sinterklaas!
_________________ Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything. ~ Wyatt Earp
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: Happy St. Nicholas Day Fri Dec 06, 2013 2:53 am
Penski wrote:
Curious what countries celebrate St Nicholas day and how...
We do!
Although my family skipped it this year and plan to celebrate next year when my niece is a bit older and understands what's going on (rather than stand openmouthed in the hallway staring at the Black Peters in front of her before running back screaming to her mom )
St. Nicholas or Sinterklaas usually arrives mid-November per steamboat and from then on until 5 December you can expect to see Black Peters everywhere. Little kids will put their shoes near the chimney (often with a carrot and some water for the horse) and hope they've been good children and that St. Nicholas will reward them with sweets or small gifts. I remember standing in front of our chimney (which was blocked by a gas heater) singing Sinterklaas songs when I was a kid.
On 5 December it's "pakjesavond" (gift night) and everyone gathers in the living room with typical Sinterklaas food such as "pepernoten" on the table. Sometimes Black Peters will come with bags of gifts or invisible Black Peters (usually a neighbour) would bang on the windows to let the kids know the gifts have arrived. The gifts usually have a poem attached to them which has to be read out loud before the gift can be unwrapped. Usually the poem will refer in a funny way to things that happend to the receiver or things the receiver has done in the past year or it will reflect on the gift. When the gift is unwrapped, the receiver will say "Thank you Sinterklaas!"
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: Happy St. Nicholas Day Fri Dec 06, 2013 9:37 am
That was interesting RG! So many different holidays from around the world and yet often they are connected to the same theme. Loved the horse! What a patient and well behaved animal to be able to handle a crowd like that. Thanks for posting it.