Netherlands' beloved Sinterklaas Parade goes virtual in 2021

Due to COVID-19, the biggest children’s festival in Netherlands is going to be broadcast this year, and not happening as a live event. This is much to the disappointment of thousands of kids gearing up for the arrival of Sinterklaas. The events will occur in secret locations, where public entry is not allowed. The whole thing would be filmed and shown on TV, while web releases would be shared by people. Starting November 13, the events would go on nationwide, culminating in a holiday on December 5. Each municipality and the central government would be organising, filming and airing its own Sinterklaas Parade on TV and on official websites.   

What happens in the Sinterklaas Parade?  
In Netherlands, children sing songs to Sinterklaas at the top of their voices in mid-November every year until they hear a knock on their door. If they have been well-behaved, they will find a bag filled with gifts outside the door of their house. This is a gift from Sinterklaas. But Sinterklaas and his helper Peter are not real people; adults throughout Netherlands dress up as Sinterklaas or Peter. This is a huge treat for kids of all ages, especially those under 14, and actually believed by small children below 7 or so.   

What is the story behind Sinterklaas Parade? 
The legend dates back to the Middle Ages, to 343 AD. It seems Sinterklaas originally came from Turkey. He was called St. Nicolaus, and was the Bishop of the town of Mira, an honourable man who was kind to children. No one knows for certain why he then chose to live in Spain. Historians have pointed out the Spanish domination over the Netherlands as a connect to Sinterklaas. So Sinterklaas still appears at the onset of winter in mid-November, distributing goodies to children, helped in this task by his assistant Zwarte Piet or Black Peter, a character covered in soot form climbing down chimneys to reach homes directly. Recently, Back Peter’s make-up ad attire has been made more colourful to avoid any misleading prejudices against black people, not related to this tradition at all.  

Though the tradition is close to Santa Claus, this is a separate local festival, equally beautiful and fun.