by Sem, age 9, asks Sinterklaas do you come from Spain by steamboat in November?, about Amsterdam’s canals, and why Dutch children leave carrots in shoes
Dear Sinterklaas,
My name is Sem and I am 9 years old. I live in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where I put a shoe by the fireplace every night in early December with a carrot inside for a horse, not for reindeer.
First, do you come from Spain by steamboat in November?
Second, a geography question: what famous canals ring the center of Amsterdam?
Third, a school question about my country: why do Dutch children put out shoes with carrots instead of hanging stockings?
I left you speculaas cookies and tea.
Love, Sem, age 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
From the Desk of Sinterklaas
Dear Sem, thank you for the treat, it was wonderful. Now, your questions.
Do you come from Spain by steamboat in November?
That is exactly my tradition. Each November I arrive by steamboat from Spain, greeted by cheering crowds along the harbor.
What famous canals ring the center of Amsterdam?
Amsterdam’s historic center is famously wrapped in a ring of canals, the Grachtengordel, built in the 1600s, and flying low over the water with all the narrow houses and bridges lit up is one of the prettiest sights on my entire European tour.
Why do Dutch children put out shoes with carrots instead of hanging stockings?
This is one of the oldest parts of the tradition, tied to Sinterklaas’s horse, who carries him across the rooftops of the Netherlands each December. Children leave a carrot or some hay in their shoe by the fireplace overnight, a custom that predates the American stockings-by-the-chimney tradition by centuries.
Tot ziens, Sem.
Ho ho ho, Sinterklaas
