So Santa Claus isn’t super big here and they celebrate on the 6th of December instead of the 25th meaning Christmas prep events happen much eariler. This past week Sinterklaas (a man dressed like a bishop and riding a white horse) arrived to The Netherlands and was featured in many parades across the country. I hear he finds time to visit even the smallest of villages taking with him his helpers Zwarte Piet (translation is black pete) along to bring candy and treats to the children. I understand Sinterklaas is more closely related to the church than Santa Claus and Zwarte Piet to be much like elves. I’ve heard the Zwarte Piet is from Moorish decent who the bishop saved and they became helpers to other stories that Zwarte Piet is so dark because they go down the chimney to look for the treats for Sinerklaas and his horse which the children place in their shoes by the fireplace. Whatever it is, it’s very sweet and the kids in town were loving it. Here’s a couple of videos from the TV coverage of his arrival.
[flashvideo file=http://blog.horsegirltv.com/movies/zwarte1.flv /]
[flashvideo file=http://blog.horsegirltv.com/movies/zwarte2.flv /]