Mikulas Day

After the movie, we grabbed a cup of warm medovina (or mead) and wandered through the Christmas Markets in Wencelas Square. The atmosphere was cheery and festive and the square was decorated with trees, lights, and nativities, but for a moment you might think it was Halloween- except all the costumes were the same.It was Mikulas Day in Prague - a holiday similar to Sinterklaas with a few notable differences. Mikulas, the Czech word for St. Nicholas, is celebrated on the eve of December 6th in many eastern European countries.

Teenagers, dressed as St. Nicholas, angels, and devils, travel in packs to young children and ask them if they have been bad or good this year. The good ones sing a song and are rewarded with small treats and candy from St. Nicholas and the angels. The bad ones, well they have a fate worse than Spain for year. According the Czech Republic tourism website, bad children are sacked by the devils and taken straight to hell for the year. I don't know about you, but I think as a child I would have rather stayed home and forgone the candy than wonder the streets and worry if I had not cleaned my room up enough and therefore was going to get sacked. Especially with teenagers making the decision - we all know what great judges of characters they are (insert story from your own adolescence here).

While observing the holiday activities, we enjoyed roasted chestnuts and trdlo - a sweet, roasted bread.

More on Sinterklaas

Thanks to the anonymous poster for pointing out "Six to Eight Black Men" by David Sedaris and for my mom for finding the relevant links. The story is a funny recap of the Dutch legend of Sinterklaas from an American point of view. You can also listen to David Sedaris himself read the story (Part 2, Part 3).

Now just wait until you hear the Czech version when we return from Prague...

Happy Sinterklaas!

In recent weeks, Albert Heijn (our grocery store) began decorating their cash registers with cardboard cut-outs that a reasonable but uniformed foreigner might easily mistake for Somali pirates. But they weren't Somali pirates - though that would be exciting - they were Zwarte Pieten ("Black Petes").

A pirate, a Somali pirate, and Black Pete

Black Pete(s) is(are) the sidekick(s) of Sinterklaas, which as a reasonable but uniformed American I might declare the Dutch version of Santa Claus. In reality the opposite is true. Since Sinterklaas is dropping off presents this evening, now is as good a time as any to compare the legends of Santa Claus and Sinterklaas.

Santa Claus	Sinterklaas
Brings children presents on the eve of December 25th	Brings children presents on the eve of December 5th
Leaves the presents in children's stockings	Leaves the presents in children's [wooden] shoes
Has a white beard and dresses in a red suit	Has a white beard and dresses in a red bishop's dress
Has a belly that shakes like a bowl fully of jelly	Not so much
Arrives in America via a flying sled from the North Pole	Arrives in The Netherlands/Belgium via a boat from Spain
Is assisted by an army of elves	Is assisted by an army of Zwarte Pieten
Gives naughty children a lump of coal	Takes naughty children back with him to Spain
Who wins the Google Fight?

You might think that it sounds silly for a jolly old man bearing presents to come from Spain, but does it really make more sense for him to come from the North Pole?

Watch Sinterklaas and the Zwarte Pieten arrive and stock the local Albert Heijn with delicious pepernoten.

(And finally, because I know you're wondering: Yes, the roles of the Zwarte Pieten are always played by white people in black face. If this bothers you, then you are probably not Dutch.)

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

or at least Sinterklaas.

The view from our apartment - don't think I will be venturing any father.

Maybe, if not a white Christmas, we will get a white Sinterklaas!