The Feast of Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas, is an annual event which has been uniquely Dutch and Flemish for centuries. St. Nicholas' Feast Day, December 6th, is observed in most Roman Catholic countries primarily as a feast for small children. But it is only in the Low Countries - especially in the Netherlands - that the eve of his feast day (December 5th) is celebrated nationwide by young and old, christian and non-christian, and without any religious overtones.
Although Sinterklaas is always portrayed in the vestments of the bishop he once was, his status as a canonized saint has had little to do with the way the Dutch think of him. Rather, he is a kind of benevolent old man, whose feast day is observed by exchanging gifts and making good-natured fun of each other.
We will do nothing to celebrate this holiday (besides eat the speculoos that I made in the cooking class). I think it is actually bigger than Christmas! I can't get my head around that :P Thankfully none of the people close to me celebrate this holiday. It is quite Catholic still in Belgium. People take it very seriously and I think you are considered evil if you tell a child that the Sint isn't real.
I guess I would be considered evil then, since I've always told Kendra that Santa Claus isn't real..... ;)
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've loved since getting married is that you can pick and choose which holidays and traditions you want to keep/start. It's great to start doing your own thing, so even if people around you wanted to celebrate this particular holiday, you don't have to if you don't want to, cause you guys are your own family now. :) Fun, eh?
All we do here is put candy in each others shoes on the 6th. I'm sure there are those who exchange gifts and all but I think Christmas is still the bigger holiday here. Having a Sinterklaas feast instead of Christmas would make me sad. :(
ReplyDeleteInteresting info Leah!
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