Zwarte Piet

Zwarte Piet - or Black Pete/Peter - is Sinterklaas (Santa Claus)'s politically incorrect companion.


This guy is dressed like Black Pete, standing in Dam Square collecting Euros and giving away little spice cookies (ah yeah, just like years in the past - they aren't wrapped and are sitting there in a canvas sack with pigeons walking around - NOT gonna eat those!)

Poor Journey - the only one who is ever willing to stage a shot for me - reluctantly takes a Euro over and drops it into the can so he can have his photo taken.


After the photo, Black Pete asked Journey if he's been good this year. Journey knows that Black Pete carries a whip with him. So it only takes a few seconds for him to answer "Yes, I've been good!". There are so many things that are *wrong* about this character!


De Bijenkorf, an upscale department store in Dam square, is 6 stories tall (lots of escalators!). The center holiday display contains ropes with animated Black Pete's climbing to the top and then dropping back down.


Yes, those are stuffed dogs hanging from each of the Pete's behinds. When Black Pete climbs ropes to break into people's homes their dogs attack him.

From what I've read, Black Pete is a source of debate, and rightly so. Many foreigners are offended when the Dutch paint their faces black and march in the holiday parade.

Pete is the "bad guy" - the antithesis of Santa. He's the one who punishes unruly children. He used to carry a whip and look very menacing, but over the years the costumes have become a little more colorful and he's been a little more friendly to children.

A few years ago the Black Petes in the parade adorned colorful face paint, but the Dutch didn't like it. Advertisers have tried to get away from the black also, but the Dutch like their customs and it was not well-received.

Learn more about Black Pete here: http://mymerrychristmas.com/2006/blackpeter.shtml

Learn more about DiBijenkorf (one of my favorite stores) here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Bijenkorf