Pepernoten, Pepernoten, Pepernoten, Pepernoten!

The holiday season has started.... Today, 5 December, is the traditional 'pakjesavond' :) Let me explain. Well, let wikipedia explain... HERE.

In all non-Dutch countries, as far as I know anyway, Sinterklaas is celebrated on the 6th. In Holland, we celebrate on the eve of the 5th. Sinterklaas walks his white horse across our roofs together with his helper Zwarte Piet whom he sends down the chimney to leave presents. If you're good you get a present, if you're bad you will be put into his sack and taken to Spain as punishment. LOL these days I dont think anyone would mind a free holiday to Spain, but it is a really scary thought for a five-year old!

So.... Pakjesavond has arrived. I made sure that we had plenty of Dutch food around (with some huuuuge help from my best friend Nancy who kindly went shopping on my behalf with a massive list), and I scored some presents as well. It was fun!

Me pretending to be 'zwarte piet' (minus the make-up) with my large sack of pressies

Check out the official sack! My friend really came through for me :)

The bf in search of presents :)

Yay! Dr. Horrible comic book (it's really good!)

My turn!

A new planner for me for 2011, with cupcakes!! Granted, it's pink but I love it :)

All remaining presents were food, including this yummy speculaas! There were also stroopwafels, chocolate crayons, stroopwafels, pepernoten, chocolate pepernoten for the bf, sinterklaas shaped chocolates... too much to tell you, let's have a picture :)

See? And this is only part of it... My mother sent me napkins in the mail and gave me these handpuppets years ago... They get used every year :)

Some more decorations, also a gift from my mother from way back when. :)

A gift from my friend Nancy that she sent along with everything on my shopping list :) It's a special jar for all those pepernoten! I so love it!

The result :) The tablecloth was also a gift from my mother, LOL... I keep all this stuff for this one evening hihi... The chocolate letters are traditional also, very yummy :) I got a white one and the bf in milk chocolate with hazelnuts. Mmmm, so good!

For dinner we had stamppot with rookworst (well, what passes for rookworst in the UK), and lemon cake for dessert (sadly no picture).

All in all, it was a good evening :)
So until next year: dag Sinterklaasje daaag, daaag, daaaag, Zwarte Piet...

Comments

  1. Theresa MacNaughton5 December 2010 at 23:53

    It was SO fun to learn about your celebration. I love learning about the customs of other countries. Looks like you and the BF had a great time. :) Theresa

    ReplyDelete
  2. Life in Rehab6 December 2010 at 18:27

    What a neat custom, and it looks like you had a wonderful time!

    ReplyDelete
  3. lisbonlioness14 December 2010 at 14:19

    That's well wicked. Lovely!
    Being German, I grew up with the Nikolaus side of things, and mine were Pfeffernuesse rather than Pepernoten, but it is still pretty similar.
    I made little Nikolaus gifts for my colleagues, and I suppose they studied up on that little tradition.
    English people are so ignorant! LOL

    ReplyDelete

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