Happy Sinter Klaas Monday (Dec. 5th!)

[Caoimhe]

to all my Dutch friends. I am not from Holland (I am born and raised and live in Oregon) but have family there who I spent many Sints with, nibbling chocolate letters, reading poems to eachother, popping rum filled chocolates and sipping cocoa.

HAPPY SINT to OUR ALL OUR EUROPEAN DU FRIENDS!

During the 17th and 18th centuries, children in the Netherlands put their shoes by the fireplace for Sinter Klaas (Saint Nicholas), who was a bishop from the 4th century, known for bringing gifts to the poor. Sinter Klaas would fly from rooftop to rooftop on his white horse, dropping sweets down the chimney into the Dutch children's shoes each year on December 5th, while in Germany the similar tradition of the Christkindl (Christ Child) was celebrated on December 25th.

The story of Sinter Klaas was brought to North America by Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (the original name of New York) and it was popularized there by cartoonist Thomas Nast. The name eventually changed from Sinter Klaas to Santa Claus and this 19th century image from North America was adopted through the years around the globe, each country changing it slightly to suit their own cultures and traditions.