Or perhaps you will keep it for yourself. December 3, 2012. How are you three, by the way. An official reply to my letter from Sinterklaas himself! It worked, and the only thing lacking was the ability to make chocolate bars. They are totally different festivities, and calling Sinterklaas “the Dutch Santa” is just not how it works. However, that has not always been the case with this tradition. Shop unique cards for Birthdays, Anniversaries, Congratulations, and more. Some children find it all a little too exciting/scary. I might not have received an answer to my questions but I am still so happy to get a letter from Sinterklaas himself… and even a personal message from the writing Piet (who might be on to me that I was not completely honest about my age). Want your business to reach an unrivalled expat and international audience? It’s normally accompanied by an inexpensive gift (often in elaborate packaging called a surprise ). The letters are made with varying thickness, and this ensures that everyone gets the same amount of chocolate, no matter how elaborate their initials are. Likeahike – Maybe he is trying to tell me I can bribe the answers out of him. The boys are getting a little too old to believe in Sinterklaas but we still enjoy our treats the morning of the 6th and tell stories about the old saint and his friend Piet. Typical Sinterklaas treats traditionally include mandarin oranges, pepernoten, speculaas (sometimes filled with almond paste), banketletter (pastry filled with almond paste) or a chocolate letter (the first letter of the child's name made out of chocolate), chocolate coins, suikerbeest (animal-shaped figures made of sugary confection), and marzipan figures. https://dutchreview.com/culture/sinterklaas-gives-chocolate-letter Now, chocolate is the most common form of the letters, and they’re typically made in melk (milk), puur (dark), and wit (white) variations.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'dutchreview_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_6',161,'0','0'])); If you didn’t grow up as a little Hollander and think you’ve missed your chance, I might just have some good news for you. Later on, parents would lay out piles of presents for the kids, but they threw a sheet on top to keep the prying little eyes from knowing what was there. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sinterklaas is the Dutch version of Santa Claus (and quite possibly the inspiration for the modern Coca-Cola version that we’ve come to know and love), and he has a busy season in the Netherlands. We can’t answer them. These letters are supposed to correspond to the first letter of your first (real!) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). That should cover the basics! The chocolate letters are available in dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. Get up to 35% off. A far better text than this short segment on this delight is to be found here. But don’t go too late, or you’ll have to make do with whatever’s left. My wife didn’t even have to ask. Dutch Circle Party Guide – How to Survive a Dutch Birthday, Sinterklaas vs Santa – Eight Humorous Differences. This last point is the day that’s named in his honor, and that’s the time when he lets loose with all of the best presents.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'dutchreview_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',162,'0','0'])); Sinterklaas and his friend Zwarte Piet sometimes hand the goodies to the kids directly, but they’re also known to sneak in through the chimney and leave them in clean little pairs of boots. However, siblings would go to war with each other when trying to find their stack, so the parents needed a good way to mark them. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. My name is Sinterklaas, I know, it is hard to pronounce, maybe my official name Saint Nicholas will be easier to announce. During the 1800s, advances in cocoa bean processing led to the production of chocolate letters. It is also customary to make good-natured fun of your loved ones by way of humorous poetry and offering the infamous "surprise," which is a homemade gag gift that hides another present inside. Hollandshopper has a large range of Dutch chocolate letters for your Sinterklaas celebrations. I always remember sending letters to Santa as a kid. To send a letter to Sinterklaas, please send letter by December 5th with a stamp to get a letter back. Luister de leukste Sinterklaasliedjes https://spoti.fi/2N4q7nXVind de leukste Sinterklaascadeautjes https://bit.ly/2zHTKWIHallo! Write a Letter to Santa. All Rights Reserved. The modern tradition of Sinterklaas as a children's feast was confirmed with the illustrated children's book "Sint Nicolaas en zijn knecht" (Saint Nicholas and His Servant) written in 1850 by Jan Schenkman (1806–1863). This is a typical delicacy that belongs to this Dutch holiday. This delicious habit has changed forms relatively recently, but it’s actually been going on for centuries. An introduction, the letter and a postscript are below, along with a recording of Murnane, as Catharyna, reading it from inside the home. I’d been talking about this moment for days. Chocolate initials, scatter sweets, marzipan - worldwide delivery. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Very clever, Sinterklaas, I see what you did there. It contained Old Santeclaus, an old man on a reindeer sleigh, bringing presents to children. Another form used sometimes was the koekletter (cookie letter… It starts when he shows up on his boat from Spain, and he drops off little presents all the way up to the 5th of December (6th if you’re reading this in Belgium). Learn how your comment data is processed. Letters became associated with Sinterklaas in the 19th century, when a sheet was used to cover St. Nicholas presents. Every child received a nice gift and got a chocolate letter from Sinterklaas. […], […] Chocolate Letters – teaching the alphabet the fun […]. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. My colleagues and I were pretty confused to see that “Z” was the most common letter, but just before we all changed our names (mine would’ve been Zalex — which is pretty cool), it hit me that “Z” is the first initial of the company. “Santa” or “Santa Claus” in the US and the UK has nothing to do with the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition. When the boat arrives in the harbour and I see all those happy smiling faces and waving little hands, I am always happy to be back in Holland. The reason I am writing this letter, is that I think the Christmas calendar would be better, if there is a place in it for me and my celebration, that is why I am writing this job application. If you are dissatisfied with the website or any content or materials on it, your sole exclusive remedy is to discontinue your use of the website. VallyP – We’re all doing great. Photo about Chocolate letters from Sinterklaas isolated on white background. He started the blog Invading Holland in 2006 as a place to share his strange stories of language misunderstandings, cultural confusions and his own accident prone nature. I never comment but this time I have to. Tags: pakjesavond Sinterklaas Zwarte Pieten Stuart Even his move to the country was an unintentional accident, the result of replying to a cryptic job advertisement he found one day in a local British magazine. If you have found material on this website which is copyrighted by others, please contact the webmaster on this matter in order to have it removed. Some very nice ones including a puzzle, some iphone friendly gloves and a bunch of other cool stuff. *. A Dutch Culinary Journey for Kids - DutchReview, Aparthotel Adagio — have a long-stay in luxury (at an affordable price), The Dutch curfew declaration form: all you need to know if you have to be out late, Dutch parliament passes curfew: here’s all you need to know about the “avondklok”. Fully of excitement I rushed up stairs as fast as I … Hallo Stuart They are made from dark, milk or white chocolate – sometimes with hazelnuts or fruit & nut combos, decorated or plain – they are all lekker! Image of background, eating, letters - 11189765 Fully of excitement I rushed up stairs as fast as I could to share the news. And because of the new packaging, it is a gift in itself. You don’t need to be Robert Frost for this poem though, and you probably won’t need to pull a … I hope you’ll enjoy this Sinterklaas time and find it fun. “Santa” and Sinterklaas are absolutely not the same thing. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You see, the Dutch love to give each other chocolate letters for Sinterklaas. We're constantly hunting for the latest, greatest, and most Dutch spots for our readers. It is an important moment in any 33 year old man’s life. Sinterklaas must have also realized I enjoy drawing cartoons because he included a colouring activity sheet on the back of the letter.Thank you Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas vs. Santa – Eight Humorous Differences. What do you need to know about the Netherlands? Here are 5 great Dutch novels — that are fully translated in English! LETTER FROM SINTERKLAAS As always, kids can send a letter to Sinterklaas and receive a reply from Sinterklaas. Phew! Chocolate letters. Feb 23, 2019 - Letter S van sinterklaas; Engels bij kleuters iooryz – I did indeed. An actual letter from the Sint uit Spanje! eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'dutchreview_com-leader-1','ezslot_3',107,'0','0']));If you’re skeptical about the existence of an ancient saint who happily gives chocolate goodies to everyone, you can take your mistaken mindset to Albert Heijn and have your choice of all kinds of letters. Colored marzipan shaped into fruits, animals or other objects, Taai-Taai (read: tie-tie, chewy bits of gingerbread) and lots of Pepernoten. name. According to the Dutch Sinterklaas story and traditions, Sinterklaas lives in Spain and every year he comes to Holland, where he arrives in a different city or town, so all the children get a chance of meeting Sinterklaas in real life. Chocolate letters are a form of candy associated with the Dutch holiday of Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas). The children have been busy with crafts, shuffleboard/sjoelen (a selfmade donation), "koekhappen", cotton candy/suikerspinnen, and of course their visit to Sinterklaas and his helpers. One of the earliest traditions was parents getting a letter made of bread when their child was born, and this inspired the schoolteachers of the middle ages. An actual letter from the Sint uit Spanje! But, one thing can always be counted on: each lucky youngster will get their first initial molded out of chocolate. Then we’re all happy. Even his move to the country was an unintentional accident, the result of replying to a cryptic job advertisement he found one day in a local British magazine. Convents would teach the pupils to write, and their motivation was a letter formed from bread that could be eaten only after it was correctly formed in ink. Dear Child Dutch architecture in South Africa you can still see today, Video: Incredible footage of 1920s Amsterdam in colour, Sinterklaas for Expats - All the Dutch you need for Pakjesavond - DutchReview, What do Dutch kids eat? Order online - worldwide delivery of Saint Nicolas goods like Black Peter's scatter sweets with ginger snaps or spice nuts, chocolate letters from A to Z in milk chocolate, dark/bitter sweet chocolate of Droste, Verkade and chocolate bars of Tony's Chocolonely.Choose chocolate money like Euro coins, BITCOINS or … Please understand that I am very busy getting ready for Christmas, so I may not be able to respond right away. A: Closely related Sinterklaas figures are celebrated in Germany, Switzerland, Austria Belgium! And I made a sound that some might consider a squeal of delight a! 33 year old man on a reindeer sleigh, bringing presents to children too... Figures are celebrated in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium as well French... 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