Finally, they are back! #Sinterklaas and his #Pieten arrived from Spain in the Netherlands last weekend and -of course- we went to #Vreeswijk to welcome them...my boys wouldn't miss it for the world! They have been waiting for this visit pretty much since he left last year, it's an absolute favourite in the traditions we celebrate at home. I loved to see all those little faces in such awe, the great expectations and excitement building up as Sint's steamer approaches...and then, the anticipation of the sheer madness to come, how everything transformed into a celebration: music, people everywhere, singing, shouting, pepernoten flying all over the place, chasing Piet's, laughs... And as if this wasn't enough for my Sint fans...we followed him afterwards to #Cityplaza and saw him 'arriving' once AGAIN! Here some photos of last Saturday in #Nieuwegein.
Probably, I'd stop here...but I can't: despite being a foreigner I am really fond of this tradition, nevertheless, it puzzles me. I applaud the changes made this year in the main national event regarding the Piet's appearance: in an effort to accommodate the traditions but avoiding hurtful racial stereotyping there are now not black but sooty faces, without red lips and golden earrings. The matter of the 'Zwarte Piet' (Black Pete) has been controversial for years, in 2015 the United Nations wrote to the Dutch government about it, saying that some traditional practices, even if they are part of a country's cultural heritage, could infringe on human rights. Thousands of coloured people in the Netherlands feel pain and insult by this tradition. The white boss and his black servants sometimes remind them of a much more painful part of the world's history. And when thousands feel humiliated this should be enough reason to change the tradition, don't you think so? This particularly strikes me given the characters have already adjust to modern times in other ways: traditionally, the 'Zwarte Piet' would also carry a birch rod (roe), a chimney sweep's broom made of willow branches, used to spank children who had been naughty. Some of the older Sinterklaas songs make mention of naughty children being put in Zwarte Piet's bag and being taken back to Spain. In modern versions of the Sinterklaas feast, however, Zwarte Piet no longer carries the roe and children are no longer told that they will be taken back to Spain in Zwarte Piet's bag if they have been naughty. Moreover, the 'traditional' appearance of Zwarte Piet has in fact been changing since his introduction in the late 19th century! I believe that small changes in the beloved character would have huge impact sending a message of inclusion in a parade designed to delight ALL children, a parade adapted to the times.
Anyway, it's a really interesting topic but, furthermore Sint and Co. are adored by children here, purple, gold, rainbow, whatever colour the Pieten come in, that shouldn't matter at all: Let the SintMADNESS begin!
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