In the Netherlands, we have a feast especially for children. It’s called: Sinterklaas.
It’s a bit like Father Christmas, but Sinterklaas arrives earlier, around half November and leaves the country on the 6th. He brings gifts for the children on the evening of the 5th and often these gifts are surprise packets and attended with a poem for the recipient.
Assistances surround Sinterklaas, they are called ‘Zwarte Pieten’ (Black Petes). Every Zwarte Piet looks the same and they are black. In the early day’s children feared Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet because when they had been naughty they could be taken, put in a sack and be moved to Spain, where Sinterklaas was supposed to live when he wasn’t in the Netherlands.
Today Sinterklaas and his ‘Pieten’ are more friendly and they never take any children to Spain. They only give presents and sweets, a lot of sweets. But there is a problem. Nowadays there are a lot of people in the Netherlands who think that Zwarte Piet should be forbidden.
Zwarte Piet is the helper of Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is a white man, Zwarte Piet is a black man. So, the main character is white, his helpers are black. That’s racism in the eyes of a lot of people. Even the U.N. has this view!!
So, this year you see all kinds of ‘Pieten”, black, red, yellow, green and the so-called ‘schoorsteenpiet’, that’s a Piet with only a little black on his face. Why? Because Piet gives the presents by climbing the chimney’s and because of that he is a little dirty.
Adults are digging in and make a lot of noise. The supporters of Zwarte Piet say that he must be black because he has always been black and why should you change that. The opponents say that Zwarte Piet is a remainder of the old days and that is an utterance of racism.
They are not right I think. As a (white) child I excepted Sinterklaas en Zwarte Piet and never thought that Zwarte Piet was less than Sinterklaas. He just was! I loved Zwarte Piet more than Sinterklaas. Zwarte Piet was funny and gave me sweets and presents. Sinterklaas was severe and said that I should behave better. When I was about to cry, Zwarte Piet gave me a wink and I loved Zwarte Piet for that.
What I personally think doesn’t matter. If there are people who are feeling very uncomfortable and offended, then it’s time to make changes. There are little black children who are crying when somebody calls them Zwarte Piet (and not in a nice way), then it’s time to make a change.
We make changes every day and the world isn’t the same as 10 or 20 years ago. So, let’s make rainbow Pieten. Pieter in every color thinkable.
Children won’t mind. They love all Zwarte Pieten. Never mind the color.