Just for Show Sinterklaas

[Rense Haveman]

In the Netherlands and the Flemish part of Belgium we celebrate the name day of St. Nicolas, at the 5th of December. I know, the 6th is St. Nicolas, but like Christmas, it's celebrated the night before...

St. Nicolas is the serious, kind and not so infantile nephew of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. At the eve of the 5th families gather together, eating chocolate and 'pepernoten'. There are a lot of presents involved. The ritual is: write your name on a note, throw them all in a hat, pick one (check to ensure you didn't pick yourself), and buy a present for the one you picked. Write a poem for the one you picked, in which you tell all his or her sins and misbehavings of last year, as well as his/her good sides, in a humorous and kind way. Wrap your gift, together with the poem, and heap them all. In the evening of 'Sinterklaas', the poems are read loud, and the gifts unpacked.

Yesterday (yes, late), we had Sinterklaas with the family of my wife. Here some snapshots...


Wietse and Maaike by Rense Haveman - too busy yet...., on Flickr




Maaike and Anne-Mirthe by Rense Haveman - too busy yet...., on Flickr




Matthea and Annemien by Rense Haveman - too busy yet...., on Flickr




My father-in-law and Anne-Mirthe by Rense Haveman - too busy yet...., on Flickr




Anne-Mirthe and me by Rense Haveman - too busy yet...., on Flickr




My mother-in-law by Rense Haveman - too busy yet...., on Flickr




Annemien by Rense Haveman - too busy yet...., on Flickr

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Rense a good set. For many years our family stopped the commercial Christmas madness and did something very similar although on the 25th. From the images it all looks and comes across as being very relaxed and a good time.

 

[Pete Askew]

Lovely series Rense. I especially like the one with the string! I came back to the UK on the 4th and so my shoes were disappointingly empty on the 6th!

 

[Rense Haveman]

Rense a good set. For many years our family stopped the commercial Christmas madness and did something very similar although on the 25th. From the images it all looks and comes across as being very relaxed and a good time.

Julian, we had a terrific time. It was relaxed, although somehow I can be a bit uneasy with such events.....

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Lovely series Rense. I especially like the one with the string! I came back to the UK on the 4th and so my shoes were disappointingly empty on the 6th!

Thank you Pete! That one is my mother in law, preparing a string with peanuts for the birds. And those shoes... that's another part of the fun, yes, but only with little children. So probably you should try with some smaller shoes next year...