Sinterklaas' Birthday Today Poem by Sylvia Frances Chan

Today is Sinterklaas his Birthday,
every year he comes by steamer from to the Netherlands,
he does not come alone, always with his faithful helpers,
always a nice gang with sweets and all kinds of peppernuts,

for the kids and grandkids,
we continue this annual celebration
we don't want to take that pleasure away from them,
we are against slavery, sure!

but this is really a great celebration,
very cozy with surprises for our kids,
the tidy households on that day become a mess,
as we can see in Jan Steen's paintings,

Jan Steen the famous Dutch painter from the Golden Age, known for his messy housekeeping and all the red noses,
from the wine of course,
I digress, we are talking about Sinterklaas's birthday
and that is today,

I experienced it as a child all those pleasant evenings,
each year anew, so very exciting,
our Vinhie now also knows these evenings, since last year,
just big enough to participate and his heart is beating with anticipation for tonight!

A cozy Sinterklaas evening tonight for everyone! Enjoy!

from Saint and Piet
Madrid 5 Dec '21