Santa has slaves
For the past five years, I have been sick during the holiday season. Of course, I usually have a cold or two before Christmas rolls around, but this year I thought my luck was changing. I foolishly thought that maybe, just maybe, I could get home without being sick once. Obviously, I was wrong. And, to make matters worse, I'm sick just in time for the holidays ... the holiday in this case being Sinterklaas.
Sinterklaas happens on St. Nick's Eve, and is remarkably like Christmas Eve, only 19 days earlier and with shades of racism. Fun times! Have a seat on the carpet around the rocking chair, and I'll tell you the story of Sinterklaas and his Black Petes. No, I'm not making this up.
A long time ago, in a place far far away, there was a man called St. Nicholas. He lived in Spain - which is not so far away as, say, the North Pole, but there you have it. One day, he decided to travel by boat to the Netherlands, where he would give gifts to all of the nice Dutch children. Of course, naughty Dutch children get nothing. However, there are so many nice Dutch children that St. Nick - or Sinterklaas, as he's known in the Netherlands - couldn't distribute all of the gifts himself. That's why he brings Zwart Piet, or Black Pete, with him. Legend has it that Black Pete is one of the following:
a) The devil, who was captured and became Sinterklaas's slave on Dec. 5th, or
b) An imported African slave.
I'm not making this up.
That's why, wherever I go these days, I see grown men who have painted themselves black and dress up kind of like giant jesters. It's all very strange, but nobody bats an eye. I know that the idea of elves carries its own negative connotations, but to me there's just nothing like Black Pete.
Our student house is having a Sinterklaas party tomorrow night, complete with Secret Santa gifts and candy. Of course, with everything coming up holidays, I'm starting to make my Christmas list for my family (yes, we do lists. It's all horribly materialistic, but it saves guesswork.). Most of my list will be CDs, DVDs and books - but I found a hilarious gift that I kind of want. I won't add it to the list, due to the ridiculous factor, but y'all know how much I love to nap. As it turns out, there is a $60 pillow specifically designed for napping. Check it out: it's the PowerNAP pillow!
Damn, I'm out of Kleenex. This requires a trip to the grocery store. I wonder if fudge will make me feel better? Only one way to find out ...
Sinterklaas happens on St. Nick's Eve, and is remarkably like Christmas Eve, only 19 days earlier and with shades of racism. Fun times! Have a seat on the carpet around the rocking chair, and I'll tell you the story of Sinterklaas and his Black Petes. No, I'm not making this up.
A long time ago, in a place far far away, there was a man called St. Nicholas. He lived in Spain - which is not so far away as, say, the North Pole, but there you have it. One day, he decided to travel by boat to the Netherlands, where he would give gifts to all of the nice Dutch children. Of course, naughty Dutch children get nothing. However, there are so many nice Dutch children that St. Nick - or Sinterklaas, as he's known in the Netherlands - couldn't distribute all of the gifts himself. That's why he brings Zwart Piet, or Black Pete, with him. Legend has it that Black Pete is one of the following:
a) The devil, who was captured and became Sinterklaas's slave on Dec. 5th, or
b) An imported African slave.
I'm not making this up.
That's why, wherever I go these days, I see grown men who have painted themselves black and dress up kind of like giant jesters. It's all very strange, but nobody bats an eye. I know that the idea of elves carries its own negative connotations, but to me there's just nothing like Black Pete.
Our student house is having a Sinterklaas party tomorrow night, complete with Secret Santa gifts and candy. Of course, with everything coming up holidays, I'm starting to make my Christmas list for my family (yes, we do lists. It's all horribly materialistic, but it saves guesswork.). Most of my list will be CDs, DVDs and books - but I found a hilarious gift that I kind of want. I won't add it to the list, due to the ridiculous factor, but y'all know how much I love to nap. As it turns out, there is a $60 pillow specifically designed for napping. Check it out: it's the PowerNAP pillow!
Damn, I'm out of Kleenex. This requires a trip to the grocery store. I wonder if fudge will make me feel better? Only one way to find out ...