Saturday, December 09, 2006

Zwarte Piet

In the Netherlands and Flanders, Zwarte Piet (meaning Black Pete(r)) is a companion of Saint Nicholas (Dutch "Sinterklaas") whose yearly feast in the Netherlands is 5 December and 6 December in Flanders, when they distribute presents to all (good) children.
Zwarte Piet has counterparts in the folklore of other western cultures (including the
Elves aiding Santa Claus, a modern American composite of the Saint and Father Christmas) and those are known by many names, among them: Rumpelklas, Buzebergt and Hans Muff. The character of Zwarte Piet only makes an appearance in the weeks before Saint Nicholas' feast, first when the saint is welcomed with a parade as he arrives in the country ("in the Netherlands by steam boat, from Spain"), and is mainly targeted at children, who come to meet the saint as he visits stores, schools etc. He is sometimes associated with Knecht Ruprecht, but in the Low Countries the tradition has not merged with Christmas.


E porque ha coisa que fazemos por gosto ou curiosidade.... ou porque nos dizem para fazer uma coisa que nunca ouvimos falar (quem e o Zwarte Piet??) perguntei logo eu... ou porque nao resisto a um desafio.... e porque participar em sociedade e tambem dar...

Tentem descubrir-me....


2 comments:

Cat said...

´tás-me sempre a surpreender!

bjs

Anonymous said...

acho q pelos óculos é o q esta na 1ª foto...