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December
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Only in English for the time being...Sinterklaas is the Dutch name for Saint  Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a bishop who lived and worked in Asia Minor. He was born in the in 271 AD and died in the year 343 AD. St. Nicholas was a bishop of the Greek Orthodox church who lived in Myra in Anatolia which is now called Turkey. According to the legend he saved his town from starvation and he revived three dead children and he offered dowries to very poor girls. Sailors started believing in St. Nicholas because three sailors swore that he had calmed a very rough sea when they were at sea and in trouble because of bad weather conditions. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, scholars, virgins, sailors, and merchants, and in the Middle Ages he was regarded by thieves as their patron saint as well. Legend tells of his surreptitious gifts to the three daughters of a poor man, who, unable to give them dowries, was about to abandon them to a life of sin. From this tale has grown the custom of secret giving on the Eve of St. Nicholas. |
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St. Nicholas arrives early in Holland with his gifts, in November. He is dressed in Bishop's robes and journeys in a boat with his helper who is called Black Peter and who wears Spanish clothes. It is said that the pair live in Spain and are most of the year preparing lists of presents and writing every child's behaviour in a very large book. Many people go to Amsterdam docks to greet him. He mounts a snow horse and rides through the streets in a great parade, amid many festivities. |
In Holland people believe that St. Nicholas comes from Spain. This must be because in the 17th century Holland was famous for its navigation so the Dutch sailors had plenty of contact with the Spanish sailors. Also, Holland was ruled by Spain in the 16th century. The Spanish sailors believed in St. Nicholas as their guardian Saint. They must have told the Dutch sailors about this and the Dutch sailors must have taken that back to Holland. In Holland the name given to St. Nicholas is "Sinterklaas".
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In Holland St. Nicholas rides on a white horse because |
a long time ago the rich men thought that if they would ride on a white horse they would look wealthy and special. The white horse also gives St. Nicholas this special look. St. Nicholas is now a very old man. He has a white flowing beard and has a long metal staff He wears a hop'smiter (regal looking head-dress) and a red cape. The Dutch can be thanked for keeping the legend of St Nicholas alive. In 1822, Clement Moore composed the poem "A Visit from St Nich" (The Night before Christmas) and is accredited with creating the image of Santa Claus as a jolly fat man in a red suit.
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In the following weeks before the St. Nicholas Day, December 6, Sinterklaas goes about the country to determine if the children have been well-behaved. He and his Zwarte Piet helpers visit children in schools, hospitals, department stores, and even at home. The bakeries are busy making speculaas molded spice cookies of the saint. During this time children put out their shoes with wish-lists and a carrot or hay, or maybe a saucer of water, for the horse. When St. Nicholas happens by, the next morning finds chocolate coins or letter, candy treats, and little gifts in the shoes. Everyone hopes for sweets, not a switch or coal.
Zwarte Piet or Black Peter was established as the Sinterklaas helper in the 1845 book Sinterklaas en Zijn Knecht. He rides over the rooftops with Sinterklaas, listens down chimneys to check children's behavior, and delivers gifts. Even though some ask if he is an anachronism in today's
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world, the Piets are enormously popular; the Dutch see them as more fun-loving and mischievous than the more stately bishop. Besides, the saint asks children questions and gives fruit while it is the Piets who hand out treats and candy. Zwarte Piet has dark skin, curly hair, and wears red lipstick.
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Gifts are prettily wrapped in special Sinterklaas paper or they may be hidden, for example, in a potato or an old sock. Each gift, anonymously signed "from Sinterklaas," comes with a clever rhyme that may point out a person's shortcomings in a humorous way. Originality, not value of the gift, is what counts. The Dutch feast of Saint Nicholas is about giving for, "it is in giving that we receive." The fun is in trying to surprise people, to tease in a well-meaning way, to make a good joke, to produce a rollicking rhyme. The gift itself is just a bonus, as the fun is in the doing.
During the Sinterklaas period one eats spicy ginger `speculaas'
or `pepernoten', mild anise `taai-taai' in fancy doll shapes, sugar candy, fancy fruit slices or rich almond marzipan, and chocolate letters (mostly you get only the first letter of your first name). The traditional Sinterklaas drink is `Bisschopswijn' (mulled wine)! Some of us drink Sint-Nicolaas beer.
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On December 5th, St. Nicholas Eve, there are festive family parties with an exchange of gifts and surprises. The Dutch, unlike others, include adults as well as children in the fun. As the Dutch like an element of surprise, a small gift may be wrapped in a huge box, or it may be hidden and require following clues to discover where it is. 
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Miter |
A special tall pointed hat worn by a bishop. The miter is a general symbol for bishops, but it is unique to St. Nicholas among holiday gift-givers. (also mitre) |
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A hooked staff carried by a bishop; represents a shepherd's staff as the bishop is to be the shepherd of the people, as Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Again, a crozier is a general symbol for bishops, but unique to Nicholas among gift-givers. (also crosier) |
Crozier |
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Three Gold Balls |
Represent the gold given to provide dowries for the impoverished maidens. Nicholas' gold balls became the pawnbroker's symbol. Sometimes oranges or apples are used to represent the gold. |
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Another way of representing the gold given as dowries. |
Gold Coins |
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Children |
Often shown with St. Nicholas because he is their patron saint. |
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Symbolizes the close association St. Nicholas has with sailors, ships, and the sea. |
Ship |
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Anchor |
Represents Nicholas' relationship with ships and sailors. |
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This large book is the Book of the Gospels or the Holy Scriptures. In some European gift-giving traditions the large book is the recordbook of children's behavior. |
Book |
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Shoes |
Shoes filled with carrots, turnips, or hay are waiting for St. Nicholas to replace them with treats. So shoes filled either with things for his horse |
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'Zie ginds...' Zijn knecht staat te lachten |
Children sing traditional Sinterklaas songs while they wait for the saint to appear. A knock comes on the door and a black gloved hand appears to toss candies and pepernoten inside. Children scramble to gather up the treats. A large burlap bag, "de zak van Sinterklaas," also appears filled with gifts. At the table, decorated with speculaas and other sweets, guests find their initial in a chocolate letter at their places. Food is apt to include hot chocolate, Bishop's wine, and letter banket. This is one of the most famous ones... (on the righthand site you'll find a translation !) |
'Zie ginds...' Black Peter is laughing |
 The 'Christmas season' starts with the Advent. During the Advent, Christians are awaiting the coming of Jezus. Advent starts on the fourth sunday before Christmas (the beginning of the Church year) and continues until Christmas Eve. Kids get an Advent Calender with a 'door' for every day, behind which a candy is hidden. An advent circle with four red or yellow candles is being placed in the room. The first candle is lit on Advent Sunday and every sunday after that, an extra candle is lit. |
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During the Advent Period there's Christmas markets everywhere. Lots of A lot of time and effort is spent on decorating the house and decorating the (often very big) Christmas trees. Very populair is decorating outdoor Christmas trees in the frontgarden as well as an indoor one. |
Dutch people go by bus to famous markets like the one in Dusseldorf. Yearly tens of thousands of Dutch people visit one or more of these markets in the Netherlands, in Belgium or in Germany. Christmas shopping in London is getting very populair too lately.
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Afterwards, families usualy have a small bread meal in their own home, containing sausage rolls. Gifts, laying under the christmastree, are being exchanged.
For some people, Christmas Day is a religious time, and the day is spent with visits to Church. In the afternoon, people sit around the tree, sing carols and tell stories. Christmas dinner usually contains of serval courses. A lot of time and effort goes into planning exotic meals. There's hardly any traditional Christmas food, the menu is different every year. Turkey and Rabbit are very populair though. So are prawn coctails and of course lucious puddings ! |
On Christmas Eve, lots of people go to the night mass, also people who don't go to church regularly. There's always lots of music during this mass and lots of singing. 
 In the Netherlands, we also have a 'Kerstman'. He flies through the sky with his reindeers and puts gifts under the Christmas tree on the 25th of December. De Kerstman lives in Finland. His counterpart "Sinterklaas" is another, more populair saint, who is celebrated on the 5th of December (see above). |
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People play all kinds of board- and cardgames on New Year's Eve. At midnight the skies light up - literally. New Year's Day is the only day that fireworks are legal in the Netherlands and they can only be lit between 12 and 3 a.m. They can only be sold legally on the 30 and 31st of December when about £100 million would be spent on firework throughout the country. After the fireworks display and champagne toasts, the young people meet up and go to the pubs which stay open until about 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. Those who don't go out partying afterwards, usually look at the newyears concert and the 'schansspringen' on the tv ! |
For the Dutch, New Year's is much bigger than Christmas. The
family meal on New Year's Eve is a long and elaborate affair beginning in the evening and lasting until midnight. The evening's speciality is Oliebollen, little fried raisin or apple filled beignet-like fritters.
Holiday season in Ireland
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December 12th is known as Nollaig na mBan or Women's Christmas. On this day, Fairy Cakes, buttercakes flavoured with orange rinds, vanilla, raisins and sugar, were eaten as they were thought to heal the sick, enable people to see fairies and promote fertility.
Ireland's Christmas was traditionally a pious occasion heavily immersed in religious symbols signifying the birth of Christ. These
During December, people bake Christmas cakes, puddings and mince pies. Hospitality is a way of life in Ireland, and anyone who
Santa Claus is a legendary figure who supposedly brings presents to children on
Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is an American adaptation of European traditions concerning Saint Nicholas. These were introduced into America by the Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam. The name Santa Claus is a contraction of the Dutch Sint Nikolaas (Sinterklaas). In the United States, Saint Nicholas became associated with Christmas rather than December 6, his traditional feast day, and he developed into a purely secular figure. Most of the central features of the Santa Claus legend, such as his climb down the chimney and the switches he leaves for naughty children, are of Dutch origin. His red suit trimmed with white fur originated in the bishop's miter and cope worn by the Dutch saint. His association with reindeer and the North Pole, however, apparently came from Scandinavia. These and other attributes of Santa Claus were popularized during the 19th century through the stories of Washington Irving, the cartoons of Thomas Nast, and the famous 1822 poem by Clement Moore, "A Visit from Saint Nicholas". |
The Irish word for Christmas is Nollaig which comes from the Latin word natalica meaning birthday.
include placing a lighted candle on window sills on Christmas Eve as a symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph and placing holly wreaths on doors to marking the continuity of life.Many homes in Ireland still today will show a lighted candle, or perhaps todays equivilent, and much safer, electric lights, in the window of their home on Christmas Eve. This stems from the custom that to show a light in the window lighted the way of a stranger out after dark. It goes back to most ancient times, when the laws of hospitality were stronger and not abused. To have a light in your window on Christmas Eve to welcome the stranger meant that you were welcoming the Holy Family too. To have no light meant that you shared the guilt of the Innkeeper at Bethlehem who said, "No Room"!
Most homes have fireplaces with mantelpieces and these are often decorated with holly and ornaments. It is common to hang mistletoe in a doorway (and to kiss under it!). Many children are given Advent Calendars, and each day in December they open one of the slots for a chocolate treat. It is traditional to give gifts (usually money) before the holidays to people who perform services during the year, for example to the milkman who delivers milk bottles to the door. People also clean their houses thoroughly and in the past, it was common to whitewash as well, as a means of purification.
visits the house, is entertained with tea and cakes, especially during the holidays. Trees are decorated with a star or an angel on top. Children put a stocking (or a pillowcase!) at the bottom of their beds for Santa Claus. Gifts usually include an apple, an orange or tangerine, and chocolate coins.
Every child sends a letter to dear old 'Santa Claus' or 'Father Christmas' as he is also known. This old man with his red suit and his fading grey beard receives hundreds and hundreds of demanding letters from young children worldwide. Many department stores all over Ireland hire people to dress up as Santa and listen to the children's endless requests!!! Christmas cards bearing the traditional Christmas greetings wing their way to friends and relations at home and abroad. Most children believe that Santa lands on their rooftops in his sleigh which is led by reindeer that fly through the cold, Christmas air. |
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People often have Christmas dinner in the afternoon, any time between 1 and 3 p.m.. Christmas dinner - usually a goose and sometimes chicken, duck or pheasant as well, along with stuffing, roast potatoes and gravy. Now turkey is much more common along with a ham, and sometimes spiced beef. Dessert is Christmas pudding with rum sauce or brandy butter and cream. Sometimes a trifle is served as well! Christmas Crackers are on the table, and everyone pulls one with the person next to them. Whoever ends up with the longer end gets the contents, which include a party hat, a small toy and a riddle. |
Traditional Irish Christmas Dinner:Prawn Cocktail |
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Christmas trees and cards have not been common in Ireland until recent years. Their popular use today is thought by many to be the result of commercial pressure, although the custom is now practiced by about two-thirds of the people. Though the trees tend to be small, families enjoy decorating them together using a variety of both homemade and purchased ornaments.
The Christmas holiday celebration lasts from Christmas Eve until "Twelfth Night", January 6. Christmas Day, December 25, is celebrated almost entirely as a religious festival, and everyone goes to church. The next eleven days, however, are given over to parties, merrymaking, and a great deal of visiting. The Irish are very cognizant of the elderly and the less fortunate among them, and always try to include them in whatever way they can.
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As Ireland is predominantly a Catholic country the Christmas Mass plays a major part in the Christmas celebrations. Four weeks before Christmas an Advent Wreath is lit. This consists of a circular wire surrounded by palm, holly and ribbon. Five candles are placed in the wreath - 3 purple, 1 pink and 1 white. The white candle is lit on Christmas day. There are generally a number of masses on Christmas Day and a Special Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. The Church is filled with flowers and lighted candles and a wonderful Christmas atmosphere is created. The Mass lasts about 1 hour. The Priest and people celebrate the birth of Christ. Sometimes the Nativity is reenacted in the Church accompanied by Christmas Carols. Every Church has a Crib which consists of a stable together with life size figures of The Holy Family.
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The Hunting of the Wren was traditionally held on St Stephen's Day. The wren was considered the king of the birds and part of the old year which needed to be dispensed with. St. Stephens Day falls on the day after Christmas Day, the 26th December. This day is widely celebrated throughout Ireland. It is called after St. Stephen the first martyr. On this day little children and indeed some adults go round to their neighbours collecting sweets and money. They call themselves 'The Wren Boys'. This comes from an old Irish tradition. As they collect the goodies they all sing an old Irish Rhyme:- |
The wren, the wren the king of all birds |
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Ireland performs poorly compared to its European counterparts when it comes to the celebration of New Years. In Ireland Christmas is more of a family thing than in the Netherlands, it is much nicer with family members travelling home especially to be there for the holiday. |
"Nollaig Shona Dhuit"
(Merry Christmas in Irish Gaelic)
"Zalig Kerstfeest"
(Merry Christmas in Dutch)
So ... ?
Dozens of artists portrayed Santa in a wide range of styles, sizes, and colors, including Norman Rockwell on Saturday Evening Post 
covers. But it was in the 1930s that the now-familiar American Santa image solidified. Haddon Sundblom began thirty-five years of Coca-Cola Santa advertisements which finally established Santa as an icon of contemporary commercial culture. This Santa was life-sized, jolly, and wearing the now familiar red suit. He appeared in magazines, on billboards, and shop counters encouraging Americans to see Coke as the solution to "a thirst for all seasons." By the 1950s Santa was turning up everywhere as a benign source of beneficence. This commercial success has led to the North American Santa Claus being exported around the world where he threatens to overcome the European St. Nicholas, who has retained his identity as a Christian bishop and saint.
It's been a long journey from the Fourth Century Bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas, who showed his devotion to God in extraordinary kindness and generosity, to America's jolly Santa Claus. However, if you peel back the accretions he is still Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, whose caring surprises continue to model true giving and faithfulness. In the United States there is growing interest in the original saint to help recover the spiritual dimension of this festive time. For indeed St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint of children, is a model of how Christians are meant to live. A priest, a bishop, Nicholas put Jesus Christ at the center of his life, his ministry, his entire existence. Families, churches, and schools are embracing true St Nicholas traditions as one way to claim the true center of Christmas-the birth of Jesus. Such a focus helps restore balance to increasingly materialistic and stress-filled Advent and Christmas seasons.
How do Santa Claus and St. Nicholas differ?
—J. Rosenthal & C. Myers |
© McCormack - Last modified: Wednesday 7 November 2007
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