Entrance St . Nicolas Dokkum. Last weekend was again the entry of St. Nicolas a dutch tradition. Every year in November he's coming from Spain on a steamboat to a town. Then he is greeting by many children and make a horseback tour of the city. St. Nicolasis a real children festival. The children receive gift on December 5.
This year, St . Nicolas in the city of Dokkum a very special horse. A beautiful Lipizzaner. Maestoso Lublice (Quinten) did very well as a horse of St. Nicolas. This year there were a lot of people in the city, it was very busy with music and balloons. But Maestoso Lublice remained very calm and St. Nicolas did very nice allowed to ride a real Lipizzaner !
These photos make me smile. Thank you for posting! What a handsome Lipizzaner! (Better than reindeer...) :-)
AntwortenLöschenMy dear Quinten! Or "Amerigo", that's the official name of Sinterklaas' horse.
AntwortenLöschenKids are totally in love with Quinten, and he loves the attention.
Hi Tarja, Yes he's likes it very much (and the carrot also :-) ). And his owner Petra is very proud of him.
AntwortenLöschenHanneke
Impressive!
AntwortenLöschenGreat photo of horse and child!
AntwortenLöschenSuch a beautiful tradition! I'd love to paint a painting. Could I use these photos? Genna Panzarella
AntwortenLöschenDit is zeker een geweldige foto! Dat bekkie van het kind en de tong van Americo! Geweldig! En de Sint en net echt! Weet je zeker dat het je vader was? en niet toevallig de echte? Volgens mij heb je je vergist!
AntwortenLöschenBriljant picture indeed! I'm sure this is the real deal St Nicolas!
Americo is beautifull!
AntwortenLöschenRegine, is nice the child and Americo. When i saw this picture become a big smile.
AntwortenLöschenYes it's really my vater, but he say's he is the only real sinterklaas and the others fake :-) !!!
He's like this job very well . And now totally with this Americo !!!
Tears in my eyes (I am very Dutch, you know...) Thank you Hanneke ;-))
AntwortenLöschenTo all non-Dutch(wo)men out there: this is a century old tradition in our country:
AntwortenLöschen"Sint Nicolaas" or "Sinterklaas" is visiting our surroundings at the end of November, and celebrating with gifts on the evening of December 5th. This used to be even a bigger event than Christmas and Santa Claus! (Due to commercializing, Christmas became more important the last decade, but there is a real revival for "Sinterklaas" going on now !)
According to the tradition here, (as Hanneke already explained) he is coming from Spain by boat, is riding a grey horse, and is accompanied by a dark tinted assistant: Zwarte Piet. ("black Pete"). His horse can do remarkable things, like crossing over the roofs of the houses, in order to reach the chimneys. There the gifts are brought into the houses (so just like Santa Claus is doing... remarkable)
"Sinterklaas" and his assistant see and hear everything the whole year. If you did not behave yourself, you will be punished [the worst punishment for bad children: to be taken with him to Spain! > as a child I liked this idea: then I could take of Sint's grey horse the whole year ;-) - but no, never bad enough, apparently... ]
In the whole of non-Anglo-Saxon world somehow a sort of same tradition exist. And in the Anglo-Saxon world Santa Claus has the same role, but then 3 weeks later...
This has to do with old Germanic habits and faith. Our St.Nicolaas is the personification of the Germanic god Wodan, riding on his white horse in the clouds. His black-skinned assistant is a tamed devil, forced to be good to the people. In other countries one knows him as "Ruprecht" (Germany) or Krampuss/Kramperl (Austria). It is definitely not a negro slave servant, as some extreme people who want to forbid the appearance of "Zwarte Piet" here, think....!
I really like this old tradition here. And last year.....for the first time in my life I had the privilege to help "Sinterklaas", by performing his role... ;-)
(No, there are no pictures available! )
In November and December it is no fun to go out riding with our Lipizzaner stallions.... every 2 minutes somebody is asking if this is THE horse of "Sinterklaas", you know.... ;-)
It is such a pity, that the performance of the SRS, on December 4, 5 and 6 this year in Hasselt (Belgium) won't take place.
AntwortenLöschenWe had a very nice "Sinterklaas"-act for all those riders with their grey horses in mind ;-)))
Atjan, thank you for the wonderful story/history! And Hanneke, thank you for the pictures once again. Really a lift to my day that I very much needed. :-)
AntwortenLöschenHello, wat een leuke reacties hoor, het was spannend dit jaar maar hij heeft het super gedaan, dank zij een zelfverzekerde sinterklaas en de hulp van Hanneke! Groetjes van paarden-piet (de trotse eigenaar van Americo,hh)
AntwortenLöschenIk vind dit zoooo mooooi ;-))) Helemaal geweldig!!
AntwortenLöschenI'm not a good writer. So Atjan thank you very much for wrote the story of Sinterklaas !!!
AntwortenLöschenLublice (Petra) nice to meet you here.Quinten does it well on H&D !