Happy Sinterklaas Tag, DPC!

[divide by zero]

Today is the Dutch equivalent of Christmas.
If memory serves me correctly, please help me out if I err, last night the Dutch children left out their wooden shoes with hay in them for the reindeer in hopes that Sinterklaas and his helper, Zwarte Pete, would leave goodies. Of course if the child were bad s/he would receive coal.

 

[smukkel]

You put your shoes under the fire place

DPC sure rules these days

Go Koeien

 

[divide by zero]

That's what I remembered, putting them in front of the fireplace but then I thought - "Does that mean children without a fireplace get nothing?" If you don't have a fireplace where do the wooden shoes go?

 

[Ken g6]

Here's my wooden shoe, in case any of you DPC guys feels like putting a few blocks into it.

. <a target=new href="mailto:brazier@ucsub.colorado.edu">___
/......\
|.......|
L___J
| .%. |
'\___/</a>

 

[SirKiekeboe]

You are one day off, SinterKlaas is at 5 dec.
He rides a white horse called Ammigo.
His helpers are called Zwarte Piet.
For the schoe it doesn't mather if it is made from wood or leather and it can be left at any place in the house as long as it has an opening to the out side, the backdoor would survice.

 

Actually Sinterklaas is a Dutch Saint and guardian of someone or something ( can't remember ).

Today is his birthday and every year we celebrate him coming from Spain on his Steamboat with his &quot;Zwarte Pieten&quot;
( like the elves but a bit different )
and his &quot;appolusa*&quot;-horse.
Children can put any kind of shoe under the fire-place as long as there is a little snack in there for the horse.
If there is no fireplace around, the children will put their shoes next to a door for Sinterklaas to put the gifts in.

Today, or during the weekend if parents have no time, there is &quot;pakjes-avond&quot;
The young children just unwrap there presents.
The older ones picked a name of a family-member out of a bowl and they made a nice and funny rhime about that person with their &quot;surprise&quot; , which means that they have to find a original way to wrap the present.
For example: i got it canned one year , totaly welded another year with a saw attached to it ..

This holiday comes with its own songs and traditions, like you have on X-mas

Some people do not like to celebrate this childrensholiday and have X-mas like yours instead !

Hope i was able to explain our tradition.

Greetz
BoB


* don't know how to spell this

[to late]
shoot they did it again
[/to late]

 

[divide by zero]

Thanks for the info!

Rats! I forgot to leave my shoes by the door last night.

I'mmmmmm dreammmmming of a 1gig Duron combo...

 

[Onno]

First of all, thanks divide_by_zero!



<< please help me out if I err, >>


Ok.



<< Today is the Dutch equivalent of Christmas. >>


Well... err... sort of. We do celebrate Christmas as well, it's more the equivalent of all the Santa Claus stuff, giving presents etc.



<< last night the Dutch children left out their wooden shoes with hay in them >>


Wooden shoes are not very common here. (only for nice pictures for tourists
Normal shoes will do just fine.


<< for the reindeer >>


Uh ohh... big mistake... Santa Claus is the guy with the reindeers, Sinterklaas rides a horse.

(btw, 'Sinterklaas' and 'Santa Claus' are the same words...)



<< Of course if the child were bad s/he would receive coal. >>


No, Zwarte Piet puts them in a bag and takes them to Spain. (where Sinterklaas lives)

Never really understood what the bad thing is about going to the sunny Spain.

Some pictures: http://www.hansonrefuge.com/sintpix.htm

 

[looskuh]

And to add a little:
Suprises aren't always a funny way to pack you present in. It's also ment to make fun of someone, or to emphasize someones bad habits. I'm making a drug-set for a girl who has a decease (not as serious as it sounds), and her boyfriend can never sit down one second. So she can use it to chill out a little. That drugset is made of stupid things of course, ordinary mushrooms for example, but with a note that they are magic mushrooms

Oh and very important:
Every gift has a poem with it. (So that it isn't just a gift, but that it's something personal)

[edit]stupid typo [/edit]

 

[PeterN]

looskuh,

I guess you mean that every present has a poem (the paper).

Would like to see so many poets sitting on top of the presents, if there are that much.

 

[nickdakick]

Hey there it's Nikolaustag over here where are my presents ?
<hint>
An AS/400 for cracking would do just fine.
I've been a good Borg all year.
</hint>

 

[ecteinascidin]

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a &quot;good&quot; Borg...

Sorry.

 

[Rax]

Thnx Divide!!!!

And a happy (upcoming) christmas to you! Which we celibrate also!

May your cows be great!!!

 

[nickdakick]

ecteinascidin for the collective there is. It's a question how you define &quot;good&quot;.

 

[NotEasyBeingHappy]

Actually his birthday is today.