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November and December can be a very confusing time of year for expats in Holland, especially for those who have never heard the name Sinterklaas or seen a Zwarte Piet before.
If you were to ask a local who Sinterklaas was the basic description you’d receive would be something along the lines of, “He is a very nice old man who is not Santa, has a long white beard, dresses in red and gives presents in December to all the good girls and boys.”
Whatever you do, do not follow this up by asking them how that makes him any different from Santa, not unless you want to seriously damage diplomatic relations between Holland and your own country. Santa and Sinterklaas are two very different people. They just happen to work in the same area of business. There are several very key differences for identifying them:
1) Santa Claus comes from the North Pole but Sinterklaas comes from Spain and saves money on his yearly heating bill.
2) Santa Claus dresses in red with a fluffy white trim but Sinterklaas goes with the slightly more fashionable gold trim and accessorizes with a staff.
3) Santa Claus delivers presents on the night of December 24th but Sinterklaas arrives in Holland in the middle of November, does some sightseeing, delivers presents on the 5th of December and returns home in time to enjoy a quiet Christmas.
4) Santa Claus flies to his destination but Sinterklaas arrives by steam boat. It is still unknown if this difference is because Sinterklaas is afraid of flying or Santa is afraid of water.
5) Santa Claus rides on a sledge pulled by 12 over worked reindeer but Sinterklaas rides a single white horse called Amerigo, saves money on animal feed and has to remember less names.
6) Santa Claus puts presents for children under a Christmas tree but Sinterklaas puts presents in children’s shoes regardless of how smelly they are.
7) Santa Claus has an elf equal opportunities program which has helped keep the fairytale creature unemployment rate down. Sinterklaas also has an equal opportunities program and employs Zwarte Pieten who suffer from A.D.D and regularly get their shoe polish mixed up with their face cream.
8) Santa Claus gives a lump of coal to children who have been naughty so that they might learn from their mistakes. Sinterklaas on the other hand has a zero tolerance policy and orders Zwarte Piet to throw naughty children into a sack and drag them back to Spain while beating them with twigs.
All About Sinterklaas
Brilliant! Despite having been here a few years and even participating in pakjesavon our first year, I didn’t realize until this year that the Dutch get a bit prickly if you try to translate Sinterklaas as Santa Claus for your American friends. Oh, the clatter they made! I have learned my lesson and hopefully won’t be stuffed in a bag and beaten with twigs on my way to Spain. ;)
May I make it a little bit more complicated?
In some parts of Flanders, there’s yet another saint that gives presents to the children. Saint Martin visits our homes around 11 November, dressed up like Saint Nicholas, but having only one Zwarte Piet, living in Heaven en riding on a donkey… There are even laws to keep all those saints from fighting each other in the streets: up until 11/11, every saint you see in the streets, is Saint Martin. After that, it’s time for Saint Nicholas, and no Santas are allowed on the streets until after 6 December…
We lived for some time in a region where Saint Martin was celebrated, while my parents lived in traditional Saint Nicholas territory. Our children were used to getting presents almost every weekend from half November right up to New year… :-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin's_Day
Alison – I used to make that mistake for a while as well and it is still funny seeing new expats in the office make the same comment during there first December and hear all the Dutch people around them suck in their breath.
Alcyon – I love the fact that they actually have to have a law to stop saints fighting. That just gives me a brilliant mental image. I’d heard abit about Saint Martin before as well I think. I know Santa is supposed to be based of Sinterklaas but is Saint MArtin as well or visa versa.
Nice list – There is also the Sinterklaasdicht (Sinterklaas poems) tradition that I believe is not there for Santa Claus.
So he brings his horse with him on the steam boat?
Does Sinterklaas get mince pies and sherry and a carrot for the horse like Santa or does he have to wait till he gets home.Or maybe you leave some Tapas out for him.
What a riot! Loved em all, but #7 got the loudest laugh! Always wondered what the difference between the two was… guess now I know :) Thanks for this!
Hm. I thought Santa had 8 reindeer and then an extra one with Rudolph. *shrugs*
I will make a note to NOT get the two mixed up! Nor wonder why there is a penury of black shoe polish.
Brilliant! Especially “Whatever you do, do not follow this up by asking them how that makes him any different from Santa, not unless you want to seriously damage diplomatic relations between Holland and your own country”
Orangesplaash – You’re right. I forgot about that while making the list. There is no poem tradition with Santa.
Dragonlady – Amerigo does get carrots left out for him but I’m not sure if anyone leaves anything out for Sinterklaas.
Tiffany – That is one of my faves too
French Bean – You are right. I correct this mistake and fire my researcher right away. Oh wait… I am my researcher… Darn.
Jules – I know this one because I might have damaged Dutch/English relations beyond repair with it :p
@Alcyon: Flanders is a part of Belgium….has nothing to do with the Netherlands……
This is my first experience of Sinterklaas in the Netherlands. I work in a Dutch international school and have seen first hand, the diplomatic carnage it can cause
The funniest explanation of Sinterklaas is made by David Sedaris, an American best selling author: http://www.channels.nl/knowledge/28970.html So funny I spam your website with it, sorry Stu
Zero tolerance policy, great stuff!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by amsterdamcityblog, Stuart. Stuart said: New Blog Post – The Sinterklaas Guide – http://www.invadingholland.com/?p=2464 [...]
And I just HAVE to ask…is it really *that bad* to ask what the differences between Santa Claus and Sinterklaas are?
As a foreigner, I would just think it’s an innocent-enough question that is merited by curiousity, not a subject so severe that it would evoke World War III between Holland and the U.S.
Or worse: have Sinterklaas himself horde me off to Spain with my skin sporting twig-like bruises.
:-P
Ian – I know how much of a shock Sinterklaas can be your first time but I can’t imagine what it must be like doing it for the first time surrounded by kids.
Suus – It’s not spam about Viagra so no problem :p
Belle – Thanks :)
French Bean – No but you will be told in no uncertain terms that they are not the same person and that Santa copied Sinterklaas. And I always thought getting dragged to Spain does not sound so bad… they have nice weather there.
“French Bean – You are right. I correct this mistake and fire my researcher right away. Oh wait… I am my researcher… Darn.”
Stu? YOU’RE FIRED!
In other news, anyone who get’s fired will be deported to Siberia. Good bye.
The nice weather happens to be in the Barcelona/Alicante area, I think.
Now, if I were dragged to France, I would be more tolerant of the beatings!
#8 is the whole reason we moved back to England.
@ Lonneke: thank God it doesn’t!
Very informative indeed!! :D
What has always amazed me is that, being Sinterklaas from Spain, unlike most of his countrymen, he manages to arrive way in advance to distribute all the presents before Christmas! And, how come his Dutch is impeccably perfect? :D
Aledys ver: even expats from Spain can, given a few hundred years, learn the language eventually
[...] notably arrives in November on a steam boat from Spain. But the differences with Santa Claus don’t stop at vehicle and land of origin. Sinterklaas adds an über-controversial side to the [...]
I know this is an old post, but Santa is actually based on Sinterklaas :)
A lot of people know this already, but some don’t: The character of Santa was ‘invented’ by Coca Cola (based on Sinterklaas)
You can also see it in the similarity of the name:
Sinterklaas
Santa Claus