Children scarce at arrival of gift ‘saint’

THE HAGUE, Netherlands— Saint Nicholas, the gift-bearing patron saint of children, arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday during a partial coronavirus lockdown that forced the cancellation of celebrations in many towns and cities.

The Dutch celebrate what they call Sinterklaas on Dec. 5 by giving gifts to children, but the saint arrives — legend has it — in the country weeks earlier in what is usually a nationwide party.

The celebrations have in recent years seen protests by activists against Sinterklaas’ helper, Black Pete, who is often portrayed by white people in blackface makeup. Opponents call Black Pete a racist caricature, while supporters argue he is a harmless children’s figure and part of Dutch tradition.

A nationally televised arrival celebration went ahead Saturday without the usual crowds of thousands of children and their parents during a partial lockdown in the Netherlands aimed at reining in coronavirus infections.

Other towns and cities held online events and at least one town organized a drive-thu celebration where children could see Sinterklaas from the socially distanced safety of cars.

Anti-Black Pete activists planned a demonstration in Breda, one of several Dutch cities that have replaced Black Pete with a Gray Pete. Breda was not holding an official arrival ceremony for the saint.

For members of the “Kick Out Black Pete” group, the change doesn’t go far enough.

“Gray Pete is just blackface-light,” one of the activists, Elvin Rigters, said in a telephone interview.

The Petes accompanying St. Nicholas at the televised arrival had their faces daubed with “soot” as a result of clambering down chimneys to deliver gifts to children but not full blackface makeup, golden earrings or red lipstick, the NTR broadcaster said in a statement earlier this year.

The broadcaster said it makes its Sinterklaas-themed shows “for all children in the Netherlands. We do that with respect for tradition and with an eye on developments in society.”