Does any of you celebrate Saint Nicholas's Birthday on December 6th? Or SINTERKLAAS, in Dutch...? Certainly my Dutch readers, family and friends will! They put their wooden shoes or other shoes out in front of the fireplace, with a carrot and some hay for Saint Nicholas' horse. Often they will find some sweets in return the next morning. All that takes place during the weeks of November; in anticipation of THE BIG DAY for the larger gift(s) if you are fortunate.
The little wooden shoe to the right is actually MINE; worn when I was 3 years old!
The leather straps were worn out but the shoe itself is in perfect condition.
Mom & Dad saved those wooden shoes for me and my younger sister Diny to hand them to us as we were grown up.
My Dad's brother and painter, Jan, did paint mine and I still keep them in front of our fireplace!
These are actually photos taken for my earlier publication of a column for the local newspaper.
You can read more about that in the link below this post, as well as about the origin of Santa Claus.
Typical Dutch scene of Saint Nicholas arriving from Spain...
Soon he will return to Spain till next year; 2014.
Related links:
The Origin of Santa Claus Video about history, listen till the end to hear how Sinterklaas morphed into Santa Claus...
The Origin of Santa Claus Video about history, listen till the end to hear how Sinterklaas morphed into Santa Claus...
{Saint Nicholas | Sinterklaas} | previous post by me about my newspaper publication
{Humble Gifts of the 1950s} | previous post by me about my early childhood treats for December
{Chocolate & Silver Alphabet Letters for Saint Nicholas} | previous post by me
Samichlaus and his helper Schmutzli | Swiss tradition from the 10th Century via Turkey
{Chocolate Letter LOVE} | previous post by me
Samichlaus and his helper Schmutzli | Swiss tradition from the 10th Century via Turkey
{Chocolate Letter LOVE} | previous post by me
{Chocolate and Silver Alphabet Letters for Saint Nicholas} | previous post by me
{Since 1896 Dutch CHOCOLATE LETTERS - Have YOU Tried Them?} | previous post by me
{Since 1896 Dutch CHOCOLATE LETTERS - Have YOU Tried Them?} | previous post by me
a neat tradition. i love that the little shoe was one you wore when you were 3. :)
ReplyDeleteDearest Theresa,
DeleteYep, that is a treasure!
Hugs,
Mariette
Mariette what beautiful memories must flood from your childhood each time you see that sweet wooden shoe! I wish we had that tradition here in Canada ... perhaps then on the 25th Christmas and its true meaning would be better celebrated. Wishing you a beautiful week my sweet friend. xo C. (HHL)
ReplyDeleteDearest Celia,
DeleteThank you so much loyal Canadian Friend! Oh, those wooden shoes are a treasure, filled with fond memories indeed. Also about my uncle who painted them so beautifully.
You enjoy a lovely week with happy tea times as well. One day we will sip tea together...
Hugs,
Mariette
Such an interesting and beautiful tradition dearest Mariette . Its so neat that you still have the little shoe that you wore when you were 3 years old. How cute! :) Thanks for sharing a part of the dutch heritage :)
ReplyDeleteDearest Pallavi,
DeleteIt sure is a beautiful age old tradition and for little children it is wonderful! If that little shoe would not be a wooden shoe, it probably had not survived!
No thanks, it is a pleasure to share this with my reades - You are more than welcome.
Hugs,
Mariette
I have never heard of it, but it looks like a neat tradition. I love keeping traditions alive
ReplyDeleteDearest Daniela,
DeleteOh, little children love this time and it is not taking anything away from the true Christmas.
Hugs,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette, ich hoffe Sinterklaas en de zwarte Piet finden den weiten Weg zu Dir, zu gerne wäre ich mal in den Niederlanden, und würde mir die Ankunft im November anschauen. Das ist bestimmt ein tolles Erlebnis.
ReplyDeleteIch wünsche Dir eine schöne Vorweihnachtszeit und sende liebe Grüße
Beate
Liebe Beate,
DeleteSchön dich mal wieder zu treffen hier! Ja, die Atmosphäre mit kleinen Kinder sollte man mal miterlebt haben!
Euch alle auch eine schöne Adventszeit.
Lieber Gruss,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeletefor us it is the 6th of december, when Santa Claus is coming... but, because we live close to the netherlands, yesterday in the late evening De Zwarte Piet was running through the streets here, as every year ;O) they go from house to house, make a lot of noise and make you black when you open ...LOL
Love and hugs
Claudia
Dearest Claudia,
DeleteYeah, for adults it is actually on the 5th, in the evening and the little ones will find their gifts on the actual birthday which is on December 6th. It is a fun time of the year and we always enjoyed making those poems about the person whose name you picked (folded paper). Nobody knew who would get who's name. And one serious gift and one for fun + poem about the past years event in regard to that person.
Fond memories...
Hugs,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletewas für eine nette und hübsche Erinnerung welche du an deinem kleinen Schuh hast. Das wusste ich nicht, dass in Niederlande die Holzschuhe für den Nikolaus rausgestellt werden. :-)
Bei uns in der Schweiz kommt er Samichlaus aus dem Wald und steckt etwas in die Stiefel bei braven Kindern. :-)
Jedenfalls war das mal so.
Einen schönen Tag wünsche ich dir.
Liebe Grüsse
Julia
Liebe Julia,
DeleteJa, jedes Land hat oder hatte so seine eigene Gebräuche für die Nikolauszeit. Holzschuhe werden schon lange nicht mehr verwendet natürlich aber ich habe immer noch meine zwei! Solch tolle Erinnerungen. Ja, bei euch Stiefel kommt natürlich zuerst im Winter wegen den vielen Schnee in der Schweiz. Danke für den Samichlaus, das wusste ich noch nicht. Habe es sofort dazu gespeichert als Information. Schon seid dem 10ten Jahrhundert aus die Türkei, stellt euch mal vor wie lange wir diese Traditionen schon weitergegeben haben.
Wir haben für uns beide hier nur die Schokolade Buchstaben und auch für all unsere Freunde die den Brauch sehr lieben.
Euch auch einen gemütlichen Abend noch und lieber Grüsse,
Mariette
What a lovely tradition for Dutch people.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Dearest Kay,
DeleteIt sure is a very lovely tradition and one that will be kept alive we hope!
Hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteDoes any of your cellbrate Nicholas's Birthday on December 6 th.
Your shoes has one has fire place with carrot !!. Mum & Dad has the liaher strapa norn out in perfect cnditions for you and your ger sister Diny to hand we were grown up.
Your Dad's brother and painter Jan, did paind mine and you still in our frre place.
There are actually photos for the local news paper. You can read in the link below this post of santer claus. Dutch scene of saint Nicholas.arriving from spain he will be retirn to spain next year 2014.
We has two days raining with cold day.
Hugs and love to you always!
Michiko
Dearest Michiko,
DeleteThanks for reading about this Dutch Saint Nicholaus tradition!
Yes, I will forever treasure my wooden shoes from when I was 3 years old and actually did wear them.
We too have rainy days, very mild or even warm at 25°C but miserable and dark...
Hope it changes soon for you!
Sending you hugs,
Mariette
Wat een mooie klompjes. Sinterklaas vieren we al een tijdje niet meer, de kinderen zijn de deur uit en kleinkinderen hebben we niet dus het blijft bij wat lekkers snoepen, chocolade letters, gevuld speculaas en marsepein. Drie dingen die ik erg lekker vind en gelukkig alleen in deze tijd eet, anders groei ik dicht.
ReplyDeletePrettige avond! Marianne
Beste Marianne,
DeleteJa, wij vieren Sinterklaas natuurlijk ook al lang niet meer in die zin. We hadden onze dochter Liz hier tijdens Sinterklaas in 2011; dàt was wel leuk en zij kreeg dan ook geschenken van ons. Maar voor ons beiden doen we alleen de chocolade letters en tevens voor al onze vrienden. Daar stelt men elk jaar bijzonder prijs op. Het is ook een hele bijzondere traditie en nog lekker ook! Maar net zoals je zegt, al die gevulde speculaas etc. is een beetje té...
Ook een fijne avond nog met z'n beiden.
Liefs,
Mariette
Such a fun tradition Mariette!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful December full of peace and love!
xo Catherine
Dearest Catherine,
DeleteDecember is a month for Peace and Love and for reaching out. Saint Nicholas in Turkey did start out with a great tradition and of course Christmas is all about LOVE and PEACE.
Hugs,
Mariette
My area has a lot of Dutch. It's nice to see their tradition.
ReplyDeleteDearest Dee,
DeleteGuess the entire country does still have a lot of Dutch influence! Even the word 'cookie' derived from the Dutch... so for December their are lots of links.
For children these old traditions are great and should be preserved for passing on.
Enjoy your December in your cozy home; hope you're no longer eating dust...
Hugs,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletees ist schön, etwas über die Bräuche in den einzelnen Ländern zu lesen.
Alles Liebe
Elisabeth
Liebe Elisabeth,
DeleteJa sicher so versteht man einander auch besser!
Lieber Gruss,
Mariette
My dear friend Mariette,
ReplyDeleteThis is without a doubt a beautiful tradition. The name SINTERKLAAS it is very similar to the Spanish name Santa Clos. I knew Dec 6 it is his birthday, we do not celebrate it in Canada nor in Mexico, although in some churches in my hometown (Monterrey, Mex) have a mass to honor him.
And the wooden shoes must be like a big treasure for you, they are so nice.
Hugs to you my dear friend,
Lots of love
Laura
Dearest Laura,
DeleteIt is a beautiful tradition and one based on an actual living figure that did exist; not just a fictive Santa Claus with reindeer flying through the air... I prefer the Saint Nicholas tradition as the Saint himself helped children and it is not so much about the ever growing commercialism for bigger and bigger gifts for all.
You are a special friend whom I admire for your crafts and excellent nature photography!
Hugs,
Mariette
Meine liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeleteauch wir stellten Schuhe vor die Tür. allerdings hatten wir
nicht so schöne Holzschuhe. Die sind ganz besonders schön.
Gut, dass deine Mutter sie für euch aufbewahrt hat.
Einen sturmfreien Abend wünscht dir
Irmi
Liebe Irmi,
DeleteJa, da wünschte man sich sicher einen sturmfreien Abend... Aber hier kommt er glaube ich nicht. Es ist lieb dass meine Mutter die Holzschuhe so gut aufbewahrt hat; die stehen schon 30 Jahre vor unserem Kamin hier.
Lieber Gruss,
Mariette
Dear Mariette,we celabrate Saint Nicholas' name day,tomorrow!And my son in law has his name day too(Nikos).It is a beautiful , tradition. in the Netherlands,with those cute wooden shoes!!Thank you for sharing!!I'll send an email , to my daughter to do the same!!Hugs!!
ReplyDeleteDimi...
Dearest Dimi,
DeleteGuess your daughter has seen already lots of examples around her since the arrival of the boat from Spain. It is a very special Dutch tradition and especially for the children. Oh, for the adults all the chocolates and cookies and phylo dough pastries filled with almond paste are so good!
My wooden shoes are cute and I actually did wear those when I was 3 years old.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteThe little wooden shoe is so cute! I bought the biggest pair they had in the shop in Den Burg, Texel. Huge Dutch wooden shoes! We do not celebrate Saint Nicholas's Birthday here in Sweden, as far as i know.
You asked about the glass in the star, it came from crashed vehicles. It's true :)
Hugs!
Astrid
Dearest Astrid,
DeleteMy little wooden shoe is sure cute for a three year old girl's feet. I did wear them.
Oh there for sure are huge ones available too. Funny, from Turkey Saint Nicolas did reach the mainland of Europe and it crossed the Atlantic with the Dutch and than it morphed into Santa Claus... But for little children it is fun!
Hope you were not inside that crashed vehicle...
Hugs,
Mariette
Wat leuk dat je de klompjes nog hebt bewaard. Dan wordt je er ook weer aan herinnerd. Ik heb de klompjes van mijn zoon ook nog bewaard en mijn man draagt ook af en toe in de tuin nog hollandse klompen (maatje 46)
ReplyDeleteFijne avond,
Janny
Beste Janny,
DeleteJa, het is zeker leuk dat ik ze nog steeds heb en zo mooi beschilderd ook nog!
Die van je zoon dat is dus ook heel bijzonder, zal hij best waarderen, met name als er ooit kinderen zijn. Kunnen ze nog eens goed zien hóe klein hun voetjes ooit waren.
Ja, maatje 46 is wel goed ja. Mijn Pieter heeft 'maar' maat 43-½.
Hopelijk was jullie jubileumdag nog aardig.
Liefs,
Mariette
Thats a very nice tradition, have heard my Dutch colleagues telling about it. It's kind of nice to stick to old traditions isn't it? Hope you'll have a nice weekend and thank you for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteHugs,Eva
Dearest Eva,
DeleteIt certainly is a very nice tradition and let's hope the future children will get to live it too!
Oh those age old traditions have long proven to be worthwhile and valuable but nowadays people throw so many valuable and cultural things over board; a pity!
Wishing you too a cozy weekend.
Hugs,
Mariette
Leuk om die klompjes zo bij de haard te zien. Als kind is dit feest toch het allermooiste. De aankomst, spanning over de cadeautjes en de schoen zetten, strooien , liedjes zingen. Vreemd vond ik het altijd dat hij op 6 december ineens weer met stille trom vertrokken was. Fijn weekend, lieve groet
ReplyDeleteBeste Willy,
DeleteJa, dat was een mateloos spánnende tijd als kind en ik vond het heel erg toen mij verteld werd dat Sinterklaas niet echt was... Het is vreemd inderdaad, plotsklaps verdween alles en werd het stil... en koud.
Ook een fijn weekend en liefs,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeleteo ja, das ist eine sehr schöne alte Tradition und ich erinnere mich daran, dass ein großer Teller mit Grünkohl und Brot für den Nikolaus und sein Pferd draußen auf die Fensterbank gestellt wurde. Am nächsten Morgen war der Grünkohl und das Brot weg und es lagen herrliche Leckereien auf dem Teller...
liebe Grüße aus dem stürmischen Drosselgarten
Traudi
Liebe Traudi,
DeleteJa, ja und es hat immer geholfen dass er liebe Nikolaus auch tatsächlich ein Pferd hatte... es konnte mal lecker davon naschen. wir haben es damals aber wirklich geglaubt. Es war so toll als Kind.
Ganz warme und sonnige 27°C Grüsse zurück und hoffentlich wird es kalm bei euch.
Mariette
Lieve Mariette,
ReplyDeleteHet is leuk om te lezen dat je na al die jaren Amerika, Sinterklaas nog steeds een warm hart toedraagt! Leuk dat jij je klompje nog hebt van vroeger. Zo bijzonder!
Wij hebben het gisteren niet gevierd, maar doen het a.s. zondag met surprises en gedichten. Ik moet zo nog aan de slag :-)!
Fijn weekend!
Madelief x
Beste Madelief,
DeleteJa, die gedichten maken dat was altijd zó'n pret! En loten trekken voor wie je het pakje zou maken. Een erg gezellige avond voor volwassenen op die manier met allerlei lekkers. Als het buiten woedt dan is het binnen juist zoet. Nog een heel gezellige zondag met veel mooie herinneringen!
Liefs,
Mariette
Oh, you Dutch have such wonderful traditions such as this one, so cute, I love it!!! I'm sure you watch it too, as it should be like this, so they don't ever die! I do wish you go get the pyramid from Holland next year. I have small candles for it too. Two years ago my Little grand almost burned it, but since I was there, nothing happened, so I never light it when they're here, lol! Thank you sweet friend for the lovely comment and yes, you always make my day! Have a happy holiday season.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
FABBY
Dearest Fabby,
DeleteIt sure is a cute age old tradition! We hope this tradition will survive the test of times where money rules!
Oh, the pyramid is here at my home, just not those tiny candles that I could not find here in the USA. Guess it is best not to burn them at all!
You're quite welcome and it's always a treat for visiting you.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteWe do celebrate Saint Nicolas in Greece and he is one of the more important Saints, patron of all the sailors, every island has its St. Nicolas church. But we do not have the tradition with the gifts for the children. I knew already about the dutch tradition but I enjoyed reading your posts and of course admire your tiny wooden shoe!! I did not write to you earlier as yesterday was my husband's name day - Nikos -, and as you may know, we celebrate our name days in Greece, so we had some visits at home and we had a very nice time!!!!
Many hugs!!!
Dearest Marie-Anne,
DeleteThank your for your lovely comment and yes, name days are also common in Germany, I know that from our dear friends over there. Glad you did have a lovely day yesterday for your husband's special day. Saint Nicholas is at least an important Saint who is being remembered in many special ways.
Hugs to you,
Mariette
St. Nick Day is still celebrated in France, as well, Mariette. I can't believe that in all my time in France, I never bought a "sabot." I would love to start this tradition in my family, but first I have to find the clogs! <3
ReplyDeleteDearest Stacy,
DeleteThat is funny, you easily can get your 'sabot' for St. Nicholas at the address where you also find the Chocolate Letters, in Michigan. My link under the blog did point you to the chocolate letter post with info how to order them. Not year round of course... They will have an after St. Nicholas sale, where they go on discount for the remainder; still great chocolate to enjoy.
Here is the link for the 'sabots': http://thedutchstore.com/webstore/product.aspx?code=231&list=105A231&type=ITEMCATEGORY
Thank you for your comment and have a great 2nd Advent week.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette
ReplyDeleteVery interesting to read about other countries' traditions. This was fun!
Hugs to you
Kajsa
Dearest Kajsa,
DeleteSo now you know how exciting November till December 6 was for me as a child... until somebody broke the news that Saint Nicholas did NOT ride over roof tops. But even then, knowing my Dad did all the action, like throwing bags with candy through the transom. My younger siblings were all in awe.
Hugs,
Mariette
Thank you Mariette. I did not know that.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Dearest Victor,
DeleteYou are quite welcome—loved to share this beautiful tradition.
Hugs,
Mariette