gelukkig sinterklaasdaag, allemaal

[RainDog]

In Belgium and the Netherlands, Sint Nikolaas visits children in the night on Dec. 5th and leaves a present in their shoes.

Sinterklaas kapoentje
Gooi wat in mijn schoentje
Gooi wat in mijn laarsje
Dank u Sinterklaasje

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ-QAp9-Bbk

Zie Ginds Komt De Stoomboot...

Sint Nikolaas was the patron saint of children... he supposedly rescued children from slavery and prostitution and still visits children to give them treats for being good.

[Hawkeye-X]

1. Poop in their shoes?

/runs and hides.

[RainDog]

2. well, he DOES have a horse

even tho he arrives by boat from Spain.

[Ken Burch]

3. That's only when Santa brings Fat Freddy's Cat along

[Hawkeye-X]

4. Big fan of Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers!

Woot!

Hawkeye-X

[RainDog]

5. how dare you guys insult my sint nikolaas thread!

with your reference to cannabis culture. The Netherlands is not just for spliffs. Or topless beaches for families. There is some serious stuff too, like chocolate.

[Ken Burch]

6. ...which is especially good when you've spent the whole day

smoking spliffs on a topless beach...



(hey there's gotta be SOME reason Rick Steves keeps going back there with his moneybelt.)

[RainDog]

8. sounds like we know what you want Sinterklaas to bring you

mmmm, lekker (tasty)

[Hekate]

7. That's a cool song! Looks like Santa has Zwarte Piet with him on the stoomboot.

:hi:

Hekate


edited because I don't know how to spell Zwarte Piet without checking

[RainDog]

10. that was a little disturbing for me at first

but apparently Zwarete Piet was supposed to be one of the Moorish children Sint Nikolaas saved from slavery (Nikolaas himself was from Turkey.) When my kids were growing up, a family from the Netherlands who lives here would do the whole bit (had a bishops costume, etc.) and everyone would bring a dessert and celebrate - which was nice for my kids because it's their dad's culture (he's from Belgium, not the Netherlands.)

those children's songs are happy memories for me.

[helderheid]

9. Dank je wel!

Prettige feestdagen!

[RainDog]

11. je ook!

[TahitiNut]

12. That's what the refugee girl sang with Santa Claus in "Miracle on 34th Street"

Great movie.

[RainDog]

13. I'll have to go rent the movie

I haven't seen it in so long - I didn't know that was in there. Since New York was almost "New Amsterdam," I guess it was fitting in that way, too.

(I have a friend in Antwerp who wanted to take back New Amsterdam... I think it was a joke, but who knows.)