Zwarte Piet / Black Pete
Zwarte Piet / Black Pete Each year on Dec. 5th, the morning before the feast of St. Nicholas, children all over the Netherlands and parts of Belgium wake up excited for gifts and candy while thousands of adults go to their mirrors to apply brown paint and red lips. In their Zwarte Piet costumes, they fill central Amsterdam and small village streets, ushering in the arrival of Sinterklaas who, in the Dutch tradition, rides a flying white horse. Zwarte Piet was introduced in 1845 in the story "Saint Nicholas and his Servant," written by an Amsterdam schoolteacher named Jan Schenkman. In the story, Sinterklaas comes from Spain by steamship bringing with him a black helper of African origin. The book was wildly popular and with it began the inclusion of Santa's helper in Dutch Christmas festivities. Despite a rising tide of concerns and complaints about Zwarte Piet being a racist cari...