Does anyone celebrate the Dutch Sint Nicolaas/Sinterklaas on 5th December?

[UndertheCedartree]

Just wondering if you do how do you celebrate?

My DC's dad is Dutch and they've always left their shoes by the fireplace on the 4th. In the morning there are treats left there. We get things like speculaas, peppernoten, strooigoed, chocolate letters and Sint Nicolaas figures, marzipan. Also hagelslag/vlokken and cocosbrood.

Yes a Dutch family I know and hence their own families. (Both in England and Holland.)

We celebrate German Nicklaus in a similar way because DH and I used to live in Germany. On the night of the 5th they put their shoes out for him, and we fill them with goodies, usually their favourite chocolate/ sweets. Unfortunately my DC don't seem fussed about all the delicious German festive treats you can get 😋

We celebrate on 6th because we lived in Germany for 9 years and ds was born there. Shoes out on 5th and filled with Lindt goodies and Lebkuchen.

I look forward to the Dutch goodies all year! Oh, one I missed stroopwaffels!

We do (we live in NL). Funny to leave your shoe out on the 4th though! Where we live, in the early evening of the 5th there’s a mysterious knock at the door.....

We do! I grew up in Belgium and so DS always has shoes full of chocolate and treats on St Nicholas' Day. He seems to take it in his stride as one of those weird things that just happens.

@LucyWarlowsRightHand - their Dutch dad always left his shoe out on the 4th and then they celebrated St.nicolaas on the 5th.

Oh I don’t doubt it It just seems really funny to me. I wonder which part of the country he’s from?

We used to. We lived in Hungary where it is a tradition too.

I think I did it the first couple of years we were back in the UK but then DS lost interest!

@AlbertCampion - yes my 2 have just accepted that St.Nicolass leaves Dutch treats for them as they are half Dutch but none of their fully English (or other nationality) friends! He is also a completely seperate person to Father Christmas - it helps that St.Nicolaas is tall and slim and Father Christmas short and fat!

@LucyWarlowsRightHand - near Leiden.

We do. Shoes left out on the 5th, filled with treats overnight. Although I'm struggling to explain why he comes to us but not the other children in England. DS isn't sold but does like the treats.

We celebrate German Nikolaus.
You have to polish your shoes before you put them out too!

We put them on the doormat by the front door (inside, in case of foxes).

Always a red apple and candied nuts in one shoe, marzipan chocolates in the other.

Reading this has prompted me to look at Hema's website. Unfortunately the letters I need are gone 😟.
My DH is usually over there so would pick something up but obviously not this year.

Is there a Dutch equivalent to Krampus leaving sticks behind?

My DDs have asked for St Nicolai's this year... They liked the tradition when we lived in Germany.

Not Dutch but Polish St Mikołajki on 6th December. Not sure how to explain to my son when he's older that he gets presents from father christmas twice!! (I'm British)

We do. Nikolaus. Grandparents usually send a parcel with lots of sweet goodies and best of all Marzipan Kartoffeln which sometimes don't make it to the 6th.

I'm dutch and live in NL. Since I prefer christmas we always keep Sinterklaas very light present wise. I'll put DHs shoe in front of the fireplace (because he always forgets) and put in at least pepernoten and a chocolate letter. Sometimes a small present.

We don't have a child yet though (one on the way) so when she's here I'll have to arrange a knock on the door with a bag of presents. I do already have one of those jute bags in my storage. And the child is supposed to leave out some hay or a carrot in her shoe before bed for the horse to eat and she will have to sing some traditional songs. Some songs have been now altered to modern versions to take away any racist element.

In NL we also have a Sinterklaasjournaal program on the tv which is daily (or almost daily) news for children about the trip make from spain and the presents and stuff. They always mess things up like losing the presents or taking a wrong turn with the boat or the book with names of the good children or putting some of the wrong type of chocolate letters in the wrong box (causing parents to quickly open the things and switching them to make it believable) or something else that might mess up the celebration. It always ends well 😁. Your DH could probably stream it for them if they can understand dutch.

This year however Sinterklaas won't be coming to NL due to Covid to prevent mass gatherings (so if they're old enough to be on the internet you might want to follow) so we adults are all waiting for the official news to see how they are going to wiggle their way out of not being here while the celebration still goes on.

German household here, DD learnt fast to put her boots (clean and polished) at the door to get it filled with Christmas sweets and a small gift (book, CD or similar value).

In Y2 DD had a German teacher and she brought candy canes into school and told them the story of St. Nikolaus. The poor children got utterly confused and I got several messages from even more confused parents asking for an explanation of this strange idea.

We trained DD to tell it properly over the following years.

We do. Three weeks of shoes left out!!

Mine no longer believe in much but when they were little Sint knocked on the door and left a sack so it's the last remaining character they want to believe in (they also spotted "the real" Sint on his boat in Amsterdam one year which helped seal the deal)

We do (other half is Dutch) usually would have a trip over late October to pick up treats but that’s not going to happen this year

@Itsalwayssunnyupnorth

We do (other half is Dutch) usually would have a trip over late October to pick up treats but that’s not going to happen this year

Rubbish isn't it. We've just cancelled

@MrsWonderland agreed it’s rubbish! I need my goodies and it would have been out first trip over with our baby!

[quote Itsalwayssunnyupnorth]@MrsWonderland agreed it’s rubbish! I need my goodies and it would have been out first trip over with our baby![/quote]
Aghh. I'm so sorry. That really sucks. We should be there with family for my son's 10th birthday in a few weeks. And things aren't at all good there right now. 4th highest infection rate in Europe. I've got my hopes pinned on Easter.

@MrsWonderland I’m sorry about your trip too and hope your son has a good birthday despite no Dutch fun! We were just saying earlier today hopefully by the Easter hols too!