zutopia

tis the season 12.02.06

hey yo, so it's that time of the year in holland -- sinterklaas is back! this is my third season and it's just as jarring as ever. the below is an email i sent to some friends back home after sinterklaas 05 - the pics on my profile are also from 05.. dont worry, black piet's still alive and kickin in 06. i just dont have the stomach to do anymore documentation...

Hi -

Happy New Year!

A couple folks emailed me in horror when they hear bout zwartepiet - santa's black-faced slave over here. I'm thinking i may have shared
some of this with you last year - forgive me if this is redundant. but yeah, i've gone through it twice now and misery loves company:). This year I took some pics of ZwartePiet. Lemme tell you, he wasnt hard to find - he's more dutch than clogs. Just some background: Sinterklaas is the sainted Spanish merchant that good old santa claus is based on. In holland, Sinterklaas is a separate holiday from Christmas (and bigger), is totally secular and celebrated the first week in December. At that time Sinterklaas arrives with his slave, ZwartePiet, to deliver homemade gifts to all the children of Holland. This Sinterklaas actually did exist at one point, a benevolent gift giver, he was also a slave holder.

So... fast forward to 2005, and Sinterklaas season comes around and you cannot fnd him anywhere. Maybe on tv, you'll see a reenactment of
his arrival - being led on his horse by the numerous piets/slaves
walking beside him -- but then for the rest of the season all you see
is Piet, out and about, in supermarket circulars, department stores,
decorations, at sinterklaas parties and walking down the street (in
black face, big gold hoop earrings and a curly fro). He's a huge
marketing tool (harkens right back to the good ol days, 'remember when
blackfolks did shit for us for free' -- oh but wait, now we have the
north africans and eastern europeans;). i thought there might be a
general redefiniton of the holiday celebrating with my classmates -
kinda like thanksgiving, where its about the sharing and we "ignore"
the fucked up history.. well, thats not quiet what happened. all the
gifts are made by hand, usually from papier mache and accompanied with
a poem written by your "secret santa/piet". I got a papier mache "big
apple" (with insence and some indian bracelets inside) from a
classmate who has a masters in psychology and is now going for a
second masters in cultural analysis.. yeah, even the dutch
"intellectuals" have no problem promoting this holiday. well...here
goes the poem.. you can skip it and go straight to the pics -- but
thought it might give a little insight into this craziness:


Dear Zuhairah,

Sinterklaas said to his Pietenbaas: "Zuhairah dear I'm very pleased to
see that you came from afar to meet me..." Oversees my good friend
Santa Claus arranges my affairs sees to all my children, handles
everything with care. I myself live in SPain, you see, most of the
year But in December I get on my boat and to Holland I steer... It has
come to my attention that you come from the states that land of
opportunity, the land of Bush and Bill Gates... I myself have never
been there But I would love to come someday See the staue of liberty,
even though it's a cliche. My head of Piets has explained that New
York is your capital, Like Amsterdam here or Madrid in Spain.. But he
has repeated over and over again (and i must say in vain) that your
capital has yet another name... It is called an Apple! Like Gwyneth
Paltrows child perhaps or like a computer brand? No, my head of Piets
insisted, 'you dont understand!' It's just an apple. A big one at
that.' Dear dear, I'm afraid I'm getting too old for all these funny
tricks Well whatever pushes your buttons, whatever gives you kicks! An
apple it is and a big one you get... Now with all this said: Zuhairah,
I hope you enjoy the apple's heart in this case it's the best part...

Sincerely,
Sinterklaas (a.k.a. the Sint) and his Pietenbaas (aka Head of Piets)


okay, i was touched by the big apple, as i was feeling particuarly
homesick over the holiday. but was truly offended (and hurt) by this
celebration of piet and vehement defense of his master...well now that ive made it through the holiday, i'm pretty happy in
holland. looking forward to 2006, but missing that big juicy apple and
all of you. stay up.

xoxoxo zu

posted by z.a.k. @ 7:06 AM