Sinterklaas

I introduced Sinterklaas to the kids as part of our 25 Days of Christmas tonight.

I love that I am part Dutch and have always been interested in the traditions that surround Christmas. When we were kids our grandparents would give us a *Dutch chocolate letter on Christmas Eve, and it's something I still try to do for my kids today.

Although we didn't celebrate Sinterklaas growing up, he still has meaning to me. I hope that through this fun new tradition Logan and Bergen will come to have fond memories of him too.

Here's the story I told them. It was one of several I found on Google, and I went with it because I didn't have time to consult my dad.

At the start, Sinterklaas was a real person. He was born in the 4th century in Myra, Asia Minor, where he became a bishop as a grown man. Little else is known about him—except that he loved children.

A story is told about Sinterklaas to illustrate this point. It is said that three little boys dined at a restaurant and, after eating their fill, informed the innkeeper that they could not pay their bill. To exact payment, the innkeeper chopped them up into little bits and cooked them in a stew.

Nicholas heard about the awful deed and came to the inn to find the boys boiling away in the pot. He told the innkeeper that if he, Nicholas, could find one little piece of each boy that was good, he would perform a miracle and bring them him back to life. Now, what child does not have at least one little piece of good in him? And, so Sinterklaas returned the boys to life and took them into his care.

Nice story! Not. But I told it anyway.

And there's more...

There is not a single family in Holland that does not in some way or another honor the old "Bishop" and his servant the Grumpus (or Black Pete as I was told growing up) with a party, a small get-together or by going to somebody's else's house to celebrate. There may be many presents, or just a few, tables laden with traditional candles and cookies, or just a pot of hot chocolate. The house may be teeming with children, or with perhaps just a few grown-ups around the dining room table—but the Sinterklaas spirit is everywhere—one simply can't miss it. It is far and away the nicest, most wonderful and exciting festivity in the land!

When the early Dutch settlers came to America, they naturally brought with them their venerated old bishop. St. Nicholas and their favorite holiday, Sinterklaas.

And so that I don't have to keep this all in my head to remember it, I have even more information:

Did you know that “cookie” is a Dutch word? And that the first chocolate in America came from Holland? Not only did children in New Amsterdam (NYC) love the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas, they also quickly came to love another tradition the Dutch brought to the New World: cookies!! The Dutch word was "koekje," and meant "little cake." The Dutch brought the "koekjes" to America in the 17th century and the word became "cookie." Much like Sinterklaas became Santa Claus. The first cookies were created by accident. Cooks used a small amount of cake batter to test their oven temperature before baking a large cake. Almost immediately the Dutch knew they had discovered something very, very good. With a little bit of sugar added, crackers became cookies! Before long, special cookies were being made for the Dutch’s favorite holiday­ -- Sinterklaas. These cookies are called Speculaas.

The kids and I finished things up with hot chocolate and speculaas before putting a pair of wooden shoes under the tree. They really seemed to like tonight's activity and I think they're excited about their Dutch heritage. I hope they like what they find in the morning...

 

*At many Dutch Sinterklaas Eve parties, the very last surprise in Sinterklaas’ special burlap sack, are chocolate initials, the first letter of each person’s name.

There will be one for each person—the first given to the youngest child, then on up to the oldest person present. These letters are popular throughout the Sinterklaas season. The tasty treats may be found in shoes, left by Sinterklaas as he makes his rounds checking on children. These letters make special little Sinterklaas remembrances to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. The letters, in brightly colored boxes, are sold from around October 15th through December 5 only. Unsold letters aren’t marked down, rather, they are returned to the manufacturers to be melted down for other chocolate treats.

The custom of edible letters goes back to Germanic times when, at birth, children were given a runic letter, made of bread—as a symbol of good fortune. Schools in the Middle Ages used bread and chocolate letters to teach the alphabet. When the letter was learned and could be written well, a pupil could eat it up! Letters became associated with Sinterklaas in the 19th century, when a sheet was used to cover St. Nicholas presents. A bread dough letter, placed on top of the sheet, identified where a child’s gifts were located.

During the 1800s, advances in cocoa bean processing led to the production of chocolate letters. The Netherlands is the only place with a St. Nicholas chocolate initial letter tradition.


(This is a happy post for me. I am proud of my part Dutch-girl status! Thanks Dad!)