Racism in Dutch culture: The case of Zwarte Piet (Sinter Klaas’s little helper)
Tags:amsterdam christmas culture shock dutch culture
Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) is Sinter Klaas’s (Santa Claus) helper, and he plays a large role in the feast of Sinter Klaas, which is held every year on December 5. Native Dutch people don blackface & throw out pepernoten to eager children. When I first learned of this costumed practice, it seemed to my American sensibilities to be the most racist thing ever — at least find some black people, rather than dress up in blackface! — but, in reality, I was suffering one of my first real cases of culture shock here in Amsterdam. I was mistaken, as some of my Dutch friends vehemently pointed out to me. This old Dutch tradition has completely lost any vestige of discrimination and is celebrated for what it is: an old tradition. See this great article on Zwarte Piet at Expatica.com for details of the annual controversy.
The best explanation for why Zwarte Piet is not racist, in my opinion, is that he’s the one who actually goes down the chimneys & so he gets really dirty.
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