KnittingPathsOfLife

Friday, December 4, 2009

HAPPY SINT DAY TO MY DUTCH FRIENDS AND OF COURSE MY DAUGHTER AND SON IN LAW

Sint Day is tomorrow, December 5th in Holland. I know a certain Elf, named Miss Pickles, has been busy with running around with little gifts. She has fun with this.
Sint is a very impressive person, I know, I saw him when I was visiting Holland on a December 5th. He came right to Heidi's house to visit us. Sint fills shoes with goodies thoughout the season. He leaves yummy little ginger cookies. He comes to Holland on a boat from Spain, then rides his white horse. His helpers are Piets.
Feel free to hope on this blog and correct anything wrong Heidi. LOL. She has my password. I googled the following:

How is Sinterklaas celebrated in the Netherlands?

On 5th December, the Dutch traditionally celebrate Sinterklaas. The children are told about a very old Spanish bishop called Sinterklaas, who is fond of children. This Iberian prelate visits the Low Lands every year by the end of November and leaves quietly after December 5th.

The name Sinterklaas comes from Sint Niklaas, which is a variation of Sint Nikolaas (Saint Nicholas).

On the evening of 5 December the children will sing special Sinterklaas songs. When the tension has built up sufficiently, a big sack or basket is brought into the home filled with presents for the children who have behaved themselves.

When I was there, the gifts were lowered from the roof of the house.

7 comments:

Linda said...

The celebration of Sinterklaas is a wonderful custom, it must have been so nice to be there during this happy time. I remember Heidi sharing pictures of Sint and it looked so exciting and festive...have a happy weekend, hugs, Linda

onlymehere said...

What a fun twist on Saint Nicholas! This explains too the wooden shoes that I saw at Heidi's. I'm trying to figure out how they lower the gifts from the ceiling though. That must take some kind of imagination to pull off! Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments too!

Carolien said...

Hello Nancy,

Thanks for your kind wishes for St. Nicolaas. I bet it will be fun tonight. I have to make my last poem and make my big surprise ...

Have a nice weekend & hugs,
Carolien

Heidi said...

Thanks mother! You did just fine so corrections. But since you have been here and seen the celebration, you know first hand what it is like. I remember helping our neighbors by hiding things in our garage and then placing them at the front door, knocking on the living room window and running away. Lots of fun. I know that Zwarte Piet still has one more delivery to make as soon as he finishes his morning coffee. Even Zwarte Piet needs a coffee break...lol.

Love and hugs ~
Heidi

Carolien said...

Dear Nancy,

Just a quick note to tell you the postman came with your second poncho 10 minutes ago! It took longer than the first time, but it's there! I love this one too and it fits perfectly. The fringes are also ideal on this one. I am HAPPY! I will post an entry about them later. Must go and make that poem now ;)

Love, Carolien

angelasweby said...

What a lovely tradition Nancy. It's always so exciting reading about other traditions.
I am sure that busy elves like Miss Pickles have their work cut out at this time of year.
Hugs Angela

Gettysburg Homestead said...

What an awesome tradition.

The picture is beautiful how he is dressed.

Mary