So it’s that day again, the celebration of Saint Nicholas’ birthday. Some countries do it on the 6th, but the Netherlands does it on the 5th. It’s a day where kids get told that if they behaved nicely the previous year, Saint Nicholas will bring them gifts and treats, but if they behaved badly, Saint Nicholas’ helpers – zwarte Piet or “black Pete” – will come and take them away to Spain.
As always, debates on the political correctness of black Pete will be drawn into question, as hordes of black Petes will be walking the streets, dressed in flamboyant and foppish clothes, with black shoe-polish on their faces, trying to appear like the Morish slaves Saint Nicholas – one time Bishop of Mira in Turkey – held in servitude.
Luckily, the people who give a damn about the political correctness of it all is a very small minority. Black people in the Netherlands don’t seem to give a shit about it, so I think that there’s where the debate should stop.
Meanwhile, I’ve got candy…
Tiny DV8 Ol’ Saint Nic’ came to our school, and throwed candy around. I was really disquisted by the looks of people eating candy from the floor.
So, you bastard, I did not got candy….
“Black people in the Netherlands don’t seem to give a shit about it…”
You’d be surprised.
Oh, and BTW I honestly believed last year before I had seen the parade that “black Pete” is just a name – like e.g. Snowwhite. Silly me.