Christmas in Holland
"Vrolijk Kerstfeest"
In Holland on the 5th December Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas as Dutch people call him, comes sailing into Amsterdam on a ship from Spain with Black Peter. Children line in the streets to sing and shout to the Saint as he rides on his white horse in procession through the streets.
Then Saint Nicholas and Black Peter deliver presents to the children all over the country. On Sinterklaas Eve children put their shoes by the stove. In the shoes they put a carrot and a bit of hay, for the saint's white horse. Then they sing:
"Nicholas,
I beg of you
The next morning they find surprises that he left for them.
People in Holland get all their candles and light them on the 24th and the 25th December. Then the mother wraps the presents up and puts them under the tree. The children are not allowed to open them until Christmas Day. On Christmas morning they have a special breakfast of kerstbrood which is a kind of fruit loaf.
