Passing on Festive Traditions

 On Sunday morning my son woke and decided to treat us to a medley of various Sinterklaas songs; this despite the fact that Pakjesavond and the celebration of Sinterklaas passed a week ago. Obviously spurred on by the theme he hurried downstairs, took one of his shoes from the hall cupboard and placed it in the living room, in the same magical place that had proved profitable just a week or so before. He placed a carrot in his shoe and put some milk in a Tupperware bowl for Sint’s horse. And all this by 9am.

Explaining to my nearly three year old son why putting his shoe out last weekend was redundant was easy.
“Sinterklaas has gone back to Spain, with his horse and all his Zwarte Pieten,” I explained. “He’ll be back next year.”
“The shoe is for the Kerstman,” replies my smart son.
“Oh ok, well Father Christmas doesn’t put presents in shoes. He only comes to the house on Christmas Eve and that is a lot of sleeps away,” I told him.

He looked stumped. And of course why shouldn’t he. Looking deploringly at my husband, I tried to scramble an answer together that explained that Sinterklaas and Father Christmas are different beings (when in fact they are not), that they have different modes of transport (one has a horse and the other reindeer and a sleigh), they come at different times of the year (5 December and 25th December), put presents in different receptacles (one preferring a shoe over the stocking) and they have different types of helpers (Sinterklaas opting for Zwarte Pieten and Father Christmas making use of busy little elves to make toys). I did not even attempt to go into their living arrangements: why one chooses the warmer climate of Spain and the other lives in the rather cold, snowy Lapland. That is a conversation for much later, if he ever asks.

Of course, the one thing he got loud and clear was that Father Christmas also brings presents to good boys and girls across the world. So he placed the carrot back in the vegetable rack, his shoe back in the cupboard and handed me the tub of milk. Then he pointed to his stocking, and I reiterated that on Christmas Eve he could hang it on his bed and Father Christmas would fill it with presents, as long as he is a good boy…….

And that closed the conversation out for now. The discussion we would eventually have with our children about the Dutch Sinterklaas and the British version, that of Father Christmas, was a topic of conversation between me and my husband some time ago, long before our son was even born. To reconcile the two events seemed quite difficult when we talked about it, but it is something that needs to be done in a multi-cultural household.

The Dutch ‘do’ Christmas much more than they used to. The main celebration used to be Sinterklaas on the 5th December but Christmas has become more commercial here and now it is also a time of giving gifts. However, my husband’s childhood memories, and the traditions around Christmas are very different to mine. In England we do not celebrate Sinterklaas. Until ten years ago, I had never heard of it and knew nothing about it. It was all about Christmas for us.

So our first Christmas together was a unique and new experience for my Dutch partner: Christmas stockings, Christmas pudding, brandy butter, presents under the Christmas tree, mince pies, turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce and pulling Christmas crackers before tucking into lunch. This was all new to him, but for me, all traditional.

So now, every year, he directs the Sinterklaas celebration and I organise Christmas. This way we pass on our own holiday traditions to each other, and our children, and share the uniqueness of our culture with each other. Our son of course benefits as he gets two rounds of presents……. the luck of a child with a mother from England and a father from the Netherlands.

This was first published a year ago in my Expats@Home newsletter. If you want to receive future editions of my newsletter sign up at http://www.thewritingwell.eu/Newsletter.html

Celebrate Amsterdam Pride

Photo: Mariana Coan

This week marks Gay Pride week in Amsterdam. The largest gay event in the Netherlands is celebrated in the Dutch capital with a host of events, culminating on Saturday for the fifteenth time with the world famous boat parade along Amsterdam's canals. The theme for this year's event is "celebrate".

During the week, film, art, poetry, sporting and theatre events are held. You can take a tour around Amsterdam and learn about the city's historical relationship with homosexuality. You can enjoy a special meal, BBQ, picnic or cocktail event or visit an exhibition, join any number of parties going on or take part in a debate or dance workshop. The events are numerous and varied to say the least. There are also many events linked to Europe and Africa Pride. For a full program of events and a map  visit We Are Proud.

As the week's highlight, and for the second time in just a few weeks, the capital's canals or grachten will host a lively, colourful, well-visited event - the last time being less than a month ago when the Dutch football team came home to an "almost" victory parade. 

This Saturday (7 August) 80 festively decorated boats will travel along the canals, carrying party-goers representing more than 175 companies and organisations. The event is one of the biggest of the year in Amsterdam, and has earned the Dutch city the title of "Gay Capital".

Photo: Karsten Qualmann

New this year leading the boat parade is the 'Europe Pride' boat. The boat will carry an orchestra playing the European anthem as well as members of the European Parliament. The European Union is committed to stamping out discrimination based on sexual orientation, and a highly visible participation in such a huge event is a manifestation of this.

The 'African Pride' boat is also new. The addition of the African contingent is significant; in many African countries homosexuality is still seen as a crime. Frank van Dalen, chairman of the organising group (ProGay) explains: 

  "In recent years in Africa it has not got any easier for homos, lesbians or transsexuals. With African Pride we shall show that homosexuality does exist in Africa and that it is not Western fiction or a dangerous export product. We want to show the gay community in Africa that they can count on our solidarity."

All of the boats will leave Westerdok at 14.00 and travel via Prinsengracht to the Amstel. The parade will be watched by up to half a million visitors who usually line Amsterdam's picturesque waterways.

During the day (and stretching well into the evening and night) there are also various events taking place on podia scattered across the capital, as well as in gay bars and on the streets.

The event is a symbol of the struggle that homosexuals have endured to be open about their sexuality, and this week is a chance to be visible and celebrate tolerance - not just within the gay community but the straight too. 

Frank van Dalen says "The combination of party, culture and emancipation makes this event one of a kind."

The event is free and if you are travelling from outside of Amsterdam, you may want to spend much more than one day in the capital city. Hotels are widely available across Amsterdam (including gay friendly accommodation) and you can also save money on your hotel booking with http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/hotels.com who are currently offering a 10% discount on all hotels booked at hotels.com.