About the story for the children, which might be not clear for everyone:
Sinterklaas comes from Spain with a Steamer. A boat.
Always with a lot of Zwarte Pieten also from Spain.
Zwarte Piet wears clothes which are from the Netherlands or Spain in the past. (see Clothes).
Sinterklaas doesn't know so good how old he really is anymore. Zwarte Piet mostly tells him so
and says: 500 years at least!!!
Sinterklaas can talk very good dutch because he already goes to the Netherlands for 500 years
now.
Zwarte Piet doesn't talk so good dutch, he talks a bit Spanish-Dutch. Because in Spain they
speak spanish, not dutch.
Every year there will be new Zwarte Pieten, so don't expect from them that they can talk good
dutch right away. That would be a wonder. Just say Hola! and Adios! then.
They put presents in de shoes of the children when de Sint comes to the Netherlands half of
november.
On the 5th of december we celebrate Sinterklaas his birthday and everbody gets presents with
poems on it.
We make rebuses and surprises.
On the 6th of december Sinterklaas (Sint Nicolaas) and all his Zwarte Pieten travel back to
Spain.
Children have to behave very well because Sinterklaas hears it whenever you are not so nice.
But there are not really naughty children. That's what we sing in the songs: "Because there are
no naughty children here".
So there won't be any child going back to Spain with Sinterklaas in a sackcloth. That is all just
meant to be funny and a sackcloth is there for another reason.