Dutch Black Pete

Black Peter is a Dutch elf-like figure that appears weeks before Christmas in The Netherlands. He serves as a sidekick for his leader, Sinterklass. He sings and dances and plays with the children when he appears. But despite his playfulness, Black Peter is usually a white man in black face, appearing to be half-witted; a […]

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top-selling Dutch newspaper has apologized for a story on its website that linked the death of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela with a controversial black-face character in the traditional Dutch celebration of Sinterklaas. In the opening sentence of an article collating reactions to Mandela’s death, De Telegraaf said Friday that […]

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday to the delight of thousands of children. But some adults protested vigorously against one element of the beloved tradition they find racist: his servant in blackface makeup, Black Pete. In the annual Dutch Sinterklaas festival, St. Nicholas arrives by steamboat […]

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The “Black Pete” tradition in the Netherlands is under fire from opponents who believe the figure is a racist caricature and who asked Amsterdam officials Thursday to revoke the permit for a popular children’s festival because of it. “Sinterklaas,” the Dutch version of Santa Claus, is portrayed as a tall white man […]