Wooden shoes over wool stockings
Pella celebrates Sinterklaas , Dutch traditions
BY EMILY HAWK
On the night of Dec . 5 , the gloss of Dutch wooden shoes
shines in the moonlight as children await a visit from Sinterklaas and his Piets .
You won ’ t see milk and cookies by the fireplace or stockings hanging above the hearth , but wooden shoes stuffed with carrots , sugar cubes or other snacks for Sinterklaas ’ s horse . Dutch children also fill their wooden shoes with poems or wish lists in exchange for presents — or a lump of coal .
More than 4,000 miles from the Netherlands , families in Pella are still carrying on the tradition of Sinterklaasavond , or “ Sinterklaas evening .” Like other families in town , Val Van Kooten used to celebrate the Dutch tradition with her own children .
“ I think people are looking for something to do with their kids that is culturally different ,” says Kooten , executive director at Pella Historical Society and Museums . “ A lot more kids in Pella are putting out their wooden shoe the night before .”
Instead of the North Pole , elves and reindeer , Sinterklaas travels by boat from Spain ( the Netherlands was ruled by Spain from 1556 to 1714 ) with his white horse and Piets , or helpers . On the night of Sinterklaasavond and the week leading up to it , the Dutch exchange gifts .
“ Everybody has family parties and nobody goes to work ,” says Van Kooten . “ Their [ Dutch ] tradition is to give each other silly ,
Sinterklaas waves to the community as he rides his boat to the Tulip Toren . CNHI file photo
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