Sint Voor Elk Kind

Today the exchange students volunteered at a very special Sinterklaas event where they bring together all of the poor children in Lelystad that can't afford to celebrate Sinterklaas on their own. The children are greeted by a fleet of Zwarte Pieten that hand out candy and cookies, they have a concert of Sinterklaas songs, and are lastly visited by Sinterklaas and given a gift. I got to be a Zwarte Piet!

I have to admit I was relived to be asked to be one of the Zwarte Piet without a fully black face. The parents had requested that a few of the volunteers not be completely black, and I was one of the only people that didn't know any of the attending kids (the kids can't recognize an uncle or neighbor if their entire face is painted, but they will recognize them if its only a few stripes of soot). The kids really love the Zwarte Pieten and so many asked me for hugs (and lots and lots of parents asked me for photos). The fully black faces seem off-putting to me, like a clown, but I guess if they're growing up with it there is less to be afraid of. 

For those of you that don’t know, the Dutch have a holiday called Sinterklaas where Sinterklaas (a version of St. Nicolas not unlike Santa Claus) sails to The Netherlands from his home in Spain and puts small gifts in the shoes of nice children. Zwarte Piet is his helper, who slides down the chimney to put the gifts in the shoe. As an American, my initial reaction to Zwarte Piet went as you’d expect. It seemed so similar to the black face of American minstrel shows, especially with the Jheri curl and big lips. And, if you do look at the story’s origins (St. Nicolas liberating a Spainish Moor from slavery) it does seem that the alleged 1st Zwarte Piet did have black skin (today’s Zwarte Pieten train at the Zwarte Piet Huis). Being here I’ve seen that times have changed a lot. The original story is so old that most kids don't learn it until they're teenagers. The children do not see Zwart Piet as being a black person. The only story they’re told is that he gets black from all the chimney soot (which makes sense given the color). That’s also why I could get away with being less dark, because I’m younger and haven’t gone down as many chimneys. This change in mindset is really shown in the Piets themsevels, which have toned down the secondary characteristics. They don’t exaggerate lips or ears anymore, and many even wear their hair in braids instead of a tight curl or dreds. The Netherlands is a diverse country (their capital is the most multicultural city in the world). There are black Pieten and white Pieten and Asian and Hispanic. Overall I think it’s something with a complicated past, but I think the country is doing a good job of being sensitive and encouraging. I know for sure that no child (the people the holiday is made for) sees Zwarte Piet as a person specifically of African-Descent, or of being lesser. Though I was glad I could be a more “realistic” (if you can use this word for such a holiday) Piet- I don’t think you’re face can really become all black from Chimneys, I understand why they do the full face. It works to the same effect as Santa’s beard. Without it the kids easily recognize you. It acts as a mask. Even here it’s a controversial topic. It's a part of national conversation every year. Some places have banned full faces entirely, and some have switched to rainbow colored face paint. I'm glad that it's a conversation here, and that the country is recognizng more and more the racial history and complicated present of the Zwarte Piet tradition. Even if Zwarte Piet isn't racially Black anymore, there is not denying that the character design stems from Black stereotypes. Recognizing the harm in those stereotypes is important. There's no clear answer as to how to nationally modify a holiday without breaking the illusion to the country's children. But they've changed the narrative before, and I hope they're able to do that again in the future.While it might not be my place as an American to suggest alternatives, I'm thankful for my immersive experience in the holiday. It offered important cultural and practical context. 

I loved being a Zwarte Piet. The kids were having so much fun and it gives you a great excuse to be silly and happy. A lot of the kids had questions for me, and I couldn't always understand them. My answer was usually that this was my first year coming from Spain to The Netherlands with Sinterklaas, and that's why I A. Didn't know everything yet, B. Had less of a dirty face and C. Had bad Dutch. Good thing is no one speaks Spanish here so I could always tell the kids I only knew Spanish since I was so new. 

It was a great day and even though the gifts weren't the most important part of the event, they were still nice gifts. I had a choice whether or not to be a Zwarte Piet (there were only 3 costume but 6 exchange students) and I am so glad I decided to do it.

That being said...I do think it's important to recognize the history of Zwarte Piet. While all of my Dutch friends were aware of the racial history and controversy, they weren't necessarily aware of the greater global history of black face. I think contextualizing the caricaturization of Black people within White-dominant spaces is important. The Netherlands is taking steps to remove the harmful effects of Zwarte Pieten. They've removed wigs, used Rainbow Pieten, reduced the makeup coverage. But these changes haven't been universal. The Dutch people continue to have a conversation about Zwarte Piet, and what his future should be. As an America, someone who comes from a country filled with racial subjugation and inequality, I do think I'm able to help educate others on the potentially harmful effects of using a character whose history represents a time of Black subjugation. I'm hopeful for the history of Zwarte Piet (Perhaps one day Regenbouw Piet),and hope this post offered context for my American readers, as well as some perspective for my Dutch readers.