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| | KIROMIJI - History of the Dutch national hollidays - Black Pete |
 | | Seen from a historical perspective, Black Pete, or as the Dutch call him 'Zwarte Piet', is not so old yet: the Amsterdam schoolteacher Jan Schenkman invented him and gave him an important place in the first real Saint Nicholas-book (see also Saint Nicholas) known in The Netherlands, named 'Saint Nicolas and its servant' (ca. |
 | | Black Pete clearly went through a development in terms of behaviour, charisma and function. |
 | | A good Pete can be recognized from its clothes (especially its shoes), appearance (added make-up), behaviour (little believers come first), speach (no 'funny' talking), entertain the waiting youth (with music, songs, acrobatic acts etc.), and the social appearance towards the elderly, sick, etc. (visiting nursery homes, hospitals, institutions for the handicapped etc.). |
| home.planet.nl /~kiromiji/en/nhh/en_zwarte_piet.html (500 words) |
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