SIMONE ERINGFELD
  • Coaching
  • Music
  • Publications
  • Media & Press
  • About
    • Contact

Why Dutch New Yorkers celebrate ‘Sinterklaas’ without Blackfacing

22/1/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Saturday Dec. 1st I attended the New York celebration of the ‘Sinterklaas’ holiday,  organized by The Netherland Club of NY. As a Dutch equivalent of Christmas, Saint Nicholas is an elderly white man with a red suit and a long white beard, who gives presents and candy to children. Yet instead of having elves as helpers, Saint Nicholas’ servant is the figure of ‘Black Pete’.
 Until a few years back, the Dutch represented this character by painting their faces black and their lips red, while wearing an Afro wig and golden earrings. In 2015, a committee of the United Nations turned the eye of the world onto the Netherlands by condemning this practice. This enlarged the Dutch debate around Black Pete and has inspired some townships and schools to abandon blackface, while others insist on continuing the tradition.
While the Netherlands are increasingly divided on the topic, Dutch expats in New York generally agree that change is necessary. At the Sinterklaas celebration organized by ‘The Netherlandsclub of NY’, the performing ‘Petes’ were not painted black anymore, but bright blue, yellow and red instead. While people in the Netherlands still annually parade the streets dressed up as caricatures of black servants, such a thing would be unthinkable here. Sandra Pellegrom, a parent attending the celebration, explains: ‘when you move to a diverse city like New York, you unavoidably realize how racist ‘Black Pete’ as a tradition really is’. One of the performers adds that ‘the fact that this is still being debated at home is something I cannot understand’.
1 Comment
Friesland Media link
26/6/2023 11:08:21 pm

No need for black facing. As a Frisian (Dutch) person I believe people aren't doing this out of racism. It's just the original story, it was never meant to be racist. But whatever, kids don't really see the difference, they just want to have fun.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Simone Eringfeld

    Here is where I share my explorations of New York City with you! 

    Picture

    Archives

    January 2019

    Categories

    All
    Black Pete
    Brooklyn
    Brooklyn Park
    Christmas
    Christmas In New York
    Christmas Trees
    City Parks
    Color Photography
    Crown Heights
    Diversity
    Dutch
    Dutch Holiday
    Dutch Tradition
    Fall
    Flatbush
    New York
    New York City
    New York Park
    NYC
    NYC Walk
    Park Slope
    Photography Walk
    Prospect Park
    Sinterklaas
    Zwarte Piet

    RSS Feed


​GET IN TOUCH WITH ME


About

Simone is an educationist, writer, researcher and giftedness coach who helps students reach their full potential.

Explore

Coaching
Media & Press
About

Search

  • Coaching
  • Music
  • Publications
  • Media & Press
  • About
    • Contact