Every year on December 5, children in Holland excitedly anticipate a visit from Sinterklaas, hoping they been good enough to get gifts in their shoes.
It all starts in late November when Sinterklaas comes to Holland from Spain. On a big steamboat with dozens of helpers called Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes), he arrives at a city somewhere in the Netherlands. With his faithful white steed Amerigo and a big bag of presents, he visits all of the houses in the Netherlands, dropping presents in children's shoes if they have been good, if they have sung special Sinterklaas songs loudly enough, and if they have left a little snack for Amerigo. His Pieten have already done research, recorded in the book of Sinterklaas. If your name is not in the book, you get no presents and might even be taken in the bag to Madrid as punishment! (This may sound strange to adults - who wouldn't trade Holland for a year in Madrid? - but small children actually fear this!)
Most of the big cities in the Netherlands hold their own special welcoming of Sinterklaas. These `Sints,' of course, are not the real one, but helpers. Traditionally, Sinterklaas arrived at the harbor in Enschede on a ship. This year, however, he will come with his Pieten by train to Enschede Central Station at 11:15 am on Saturday, November 18. After lively activities at the Stationsplein, he will leave for city hall at 12:45 pm for an official welcome by the mayor. If you'd rather stay at home and watch the `official' Sint on television, this year he will arrive in Middelburg, in the province of Zeeland. The welcome festivities will be shown on Nederland 1 and 3 starting at noon.
