Hurry up, we are late!

Posted by Illuci (Hurdegaryp, Netherlands) on 1 December 2008 in Lifestyle & Culture.

In the Netherlands people give each other, presents at the day of St. Nicholas, instead of Christmas, and especially the children. This day is on December 6. It is a centuries-old tradition. The predecessor of St. Nicholas is the German chief of gods Wodan who punished the evil and rewarded the good. As with many Christian celebration days, also this Wodan's day was turned into a Christian day. Wodan had black ravens as his servants and messengers, and this role was taken over by Black Peter, the servant of St. Nicholas. Now there are intolerant debates going on about St. Nicholas' day. Some black immigrants (not all of them) find Black Peter discriminatory and publish anti-St. Nicholas articles in the press to abolish St. Nicholas. Both muslim and protestant groups are protesting against Saint Nicholas, seeing in him a Roman Catholic bishop, and of course they feel offended because another religion's fugure plays the main role in a public traditional feast.
Santa Claus is another threat. Santa Claus is the "cousin" of St. Nicholas ("Claus" is derived from "Nicholas"), but more and more Dutch people, especially when the children are grown-up, are taking over CHristmas as presents-giving day.

Some places in Belgium also celebrate St. Nicholas. In the press I read that it was forbidden to have a cross on the hat of St. Nicholas, because this was an utterance of religion, and they want to keep religion and public festivities separated.

On the picture St. Nicholas and Black Peter are hurrying up to the place where their horses are waiting for the official arrival in Hurdegaryp.

The children don't care at all about these adults' objections, that's why St. Nicholas loves them.

My other photo-site: click here for Flickr
My blog Today's Questions