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Sinterklaas
 Sinterklaas at Best Dutch, a Dutch Tradition
Sinterklaas is celebrated at Best Dutch!!
No Sinterklaas party without Marzipan, Chocolate Letters, Taai Taai, Pepernoten, Kruidnoten, Speculaas. You will be able to find it all here.
Sinterklaas In Holland
 In Holland the big gift giving "holiday" is not Christmas, but St. Nicholas Day on the 5th of December. The holiday celebrates St Nicholas who hands out presents to children on the night before his birthday (Dec 6th).
The main event takes place at night (it is a regular school and work day, not a day off). For the little ones St. Nicholas, also called Sinterklaas, dressed up in a bright red robe, like a cardinal, visits the homes and gives presents. St. Nick utters some wise words to the child sitting on his lap. He will bring up some bad deeds from the past year (difficult moments). If the child promises to behave and sings a nice song for the Sint, he/she will get his/her present. The presents come in a burlap sack carried by one or more of St Nick's helpers: Zwarte Piet (Black Peter). Black Pete also scatters some treats in the room: Pepernoten, Taai-Taai, Kruidnootjes and Suikergoed.
Children who were really bad could end up in the burlap sack and are then taken to Spain, where they will have to work in Sinterklaas' toy factory. A less severe punishment is to get some spanking with the roede, a bunch of twigs that Black Pete always carries with him.
  In other households or traditions St. Nick does not actually visit the house, but rides on his white horse over the roof tops and drops presents in the chimney. At night the children set their shoes (wooden in the old days) near the fireplace or hearth. They sing songs for St Nick and in their shoes they place carrots and sugar cubes for the horse and sometimes a letter listing their wishes. The morning after the children will anxiously enter the living room to see what the Sint has brought.
Adults often get together for a party and exchange gifts or surprises. In the latter case they draw names and make an object (a doll, a house or a desired "toy", such as a sports car) that relates to an event in the receiver's past year or an embarrassing moment. The actual gift is hidden somewhere in the object, usually totally unrelated to the object (surprise). The object is accompanied by a humorous poem. The poems as well as the surprises can be quite hilarious.
 About three weeks before December 5th Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands by steam(!) boat from Spain. This event is televised nationwide and draws large numbers of viewers year after year. The official arrival is every year in a different town (usually a picturesque old harbor) and made into quite a show. In addition to the official "national" landing, every Dutch town and village have their own arrival of Sinterklaas as well. He tours the town on his white horse and his small army of Black Petes hand out candy to the children.
Between his arrival and the 5th of Dec. he makes many appearances and the children are full of anticipation until the big day. There are multiple celebrations at schools, sports clubs, etc. before the "real" family celebration on the 5th.
On the 6th of December Sinterklaas quietly withdraws to Spain. No camera's, no committee, no audience to witness his departure.
Historical background
Long ago, in the fourth century A.D. St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra, which is situated on the south coast of present day Turkey.
According to the legend, St. Nicholas saved his town from starvation. He is also said to have revived three dead children, and to have provided the dowries for the daughters of a poor nobleman enabling them to get married. These reported facts were used to get him elevated to sainthood.
December 6th is his name day which could either mean it was his birthday or more likely the date on which he died in 345 or 352. In 1087 his relics were taken to Bari in Italy, where his tomb can still be admired.
In the Dutch tradition, he arrives every year from Spain. It is unclear where this idea comes from. Perhaps it is related to the fact that St. Nicholas is the patron of sailors. In the 17th century Holland was one of the important seafaring nations. Also the Netherlands has been at war with and at times occupied by the Spaniards for 80 years. So in history there were many links with Spain.
 The Moors dominated Spain for several hundreds of years, which might also explain why St. Nicholas has Black Petes working for him. Another explanation for "Zwarte Piet" being black is that he has gone up and down the chimneys so often that he can't wash off the dirt.
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